


Family Tree Hitlist

by piq_snine



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Assassin AU, Assassins, Body Modification, Durincest, Incest, M/M, bodmod, dark!Fili, eventual sexing, nerdy!Kili
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-22
Updated: 2016-02-02
Packaged: 2018-03-02 18:43:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2822330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/piq_snine/pseuds/piq_snine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fili, a trained and tough assassin who's been on his own for ten years, teams up with younger brother Kili, smart, nerdy college grad who happens to have a black belt in karate, to defeat a warlord who's just committed the perfect crime. In the process they rescue a gay interior decorator, Bilbo Baggins, a reluctant but needed witness, to help bring down a terrorist out to destroy their family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Assassin's Assassin

**Author's Note:**

> trying my hand at assassin!Durin's. Fili and Kili are related. No it's not a family thing. Yes there is an actual plot. And by golly I WILL FOLLOW IT!

It was twilight, and Yusef was waiting for his phone to ring. He was down by the pier, the fish leftovers from the market behind him creating a fowl stench around him, the leftover guts and scales littered the street from earlier in the day. It reminded Yusef of his home town, down by the coast where the fishermen would pull in their catch for the day. This was nostalgic; and disgusting. 

Yusef was interrupted by a shrill chirping of his phone in his pocket. He pulled it out of from underneath his djellaba, spitting out the plastic toothpick he had been absently playing with. He pulled the flip-phone up to his ear after hitting the call button and listened to the static instructions on the other end. He'd wished it were the old days, when drop locations were designated, marked with chalk by the messenger, and picked up by him. When it was all about conducting business in the light of day because the ignorant fools were more concerned about their drink and drugs than him and other criminals sitting two booths away from them. When it was more about being suave, debonaire, secretive and... or was that the most recent spy movie he'd watched. Shrugging mentally he disconnected the call after receiving his orders and walked down the boardwalk, passing an ice cream vendor and ordering a plain vanilla and pineapple sundae and a banana split flavored cone.

How easy it would have been to take his gun out on the vendor, shoot him twice and walk away without anyone noticing. They were alone on the boardwalk, after all. But in this new day and age, cameras were every god-damned where and he couldn't so much as lift a purse (if he was into thieving) without the eye in the sky catching all. But, again, shrugging his shoulders he continued on his merry way.

Two blocks and no tails later he climbed the brick stairs to the back entrance of a burnt out coffee shop. Up the stairs still to a gutted out room with no doors and best of all, no window panes left. The crunch of glass underneath his foot was quiet enough, but his partner still heard him. 

"You're too loud," the younger man said while looking through the scope. His pink tongue darting out to moisten his already chapped lips. Confetti and political posters filtered through the air and the sniper at the window didn't even twitch when one landed on his shoulder. 

"Brought you ice cream," Yusef placed the lad's melting sundae on the breeze-blocks they used to lift their pallet above the rat feces covered ground. "I thought children loved ice cream." 

"I'm not a child." the sniper clipped out in annoyance. Had Yusef not have enough respect and a healthy amount of fear for this young blond man with a scruffy beard, he'd tease him more. As it was, the man was an exceptional shot, and he made coffee like no one's business. 

"The man in the blue business suit, white tie." Yusef passed on their marching orders. It took the young man three seconds to re-sight him and adjust the scope for the distance change, accounting for the updraft of hot air passing through the throng of people down below. And with all this confetti and papers flying about, there was a chance that they might deflect his bullet just slightly. It wouldn't matter anyhow, the deflection was slight, and he was only shooting seventy yards. "Ooo, she's cute." 

The blond sniper didn't even waver his concentration. He was here for one job and one job only. And it was about to be complete. He smiled, adrenaline running through his veins threatened to make the bead on his scope jump. He reigned in his control and pushed his heart rate back down. It was always more exciting, shooting some dictator, but a politician was just as fun. The stock of the gun was sleek, long and warmed under the sun, it was of matte finish to keep any shine of metal glinting and giving him away, like a cliche in a movie. 

His finger tightened on the trigger, the spring creaking, ready to release the hammer and rain all hell unto the newly elected presidente. Yusef sat back, eating his ice cream, waiting on his temporary partner. Instead of a muffled explosion sending a man straight to the afterlife, the sniper yowled out in pain, suddenly and without warning. Yusef spat out the soggy waffle cone and jumped up, digging in his djellaba for his gun whoever had thrown the knife into the sniper was out of sight from the Moroccan man. With lightning quick reflexes he brings around his 9mm gun and trained it on the open door. There wasn't a single sound made except for the blond sniper wimpering as he tried to reach the knife protruding out of his left shoulder. 

"Malik," Yusef called out his colleague. Another knife had been thrown unexpectedly to Yusef's right, digging into his shooting arm. He grunted in pain before he turned and found a dark figure with blazing blue-green eyes attacking him. Yusef recalled all his training, all of his knowledge of how to kill a man, but even that hadn't helped. The youth, younger than even Malik, was quick, strong, and competent. He was a killer sent to kill. An assassin among assassins. There was only one person who would be contracted to do that, "Durinson."

Yusef growled as the cocky, arrogant little prick shot passed him, on his knees across the floor, more knives being produced to attack Malik who was taking his aim on their target once again. With quicksilver blades, they were drug across his throat, blood spurting as an artery was nicked. Malik lay there, the sun beating down on him as he bled out. Durinson turned to kneel one one knee, the other leg outstretched and balancing him as he prepared to throw his knife again. The son-of-a-bitch loved his knives. He usually never killed with a tried and true gun. Yusef couldn't blame him, though, there was a time he preferred blades over bullets. But his were poisoned, they were a sure way to kill with one strike. 

The older Moroccan man's arms wavered, maybe he was loosing more blood than he thought. He shook his head and the twice-damned whore's son stood up, calmly as he pleased, and re-sheathed his weapons. He set about packing up a few of their basic supplies. Food rations, first-aid, warm water bottles, and a head-torch Malik couldn't say no to in the store. Durinson bagged all of the stolen possessions before making his way to the door, well, the opening where the door should be. Yusef tried shaking his head to remove the bleariness in his eyes, by his body couldn't move. His breath became shorter, his mind fuzzier. "Da-nmmmmgh, d-Durrr-"

Durinson came back into the room, catching Yusef as he fell, relieving him of the weapon in his hand before it went off and alerted the authorities outside. Durinson gripped his hand, a mocking display of a lover holding the hand of the dying to ease the pain. Yusef would have sneered at Durinson and laughed at the effeminate display.

"Squeeze once for yes, none for no." Ah, so that was it, the young assassin's assassin lighter timbre echoing in his ears from the drugs. Damn, his knives were poisoned. The good ol' fashioned way. "You answer three questions and I'll leave an antidote with the paramedics. You were hired by Newman." no squeeze. "Hired by Norishima." squeeze. "You are the only two hired." no squeeze. 

Done with his questions, Durinson dug into his pocket and placed a vial on his chest. Had Yusef been able to see and read spanish, he'd know that the note taped on the vial said 'Anesthetic administered: Alpha-conotoxin. Administer this vial, 20cc to avoid system failure.'

Durinson wasn't known for his ruthlessness, he was, however, known for his complete dedication to his orders. Yusef could only guess that Durinson had been ordered to keep him alive. But then, that would mean that Durinson's employer knew that Yusef would be the one here. A cold fear of dread settled into his stomach, he knew that his last client wasn't exactly happy with his last job. But to be left here, in the jails of a Mexican prison, with _him_.

Perhaps Durinson was indeed ruthless, for dying at _his_ hands was worse than dying now at Durinson's. He would have given anything to yell out and call for death, but the police and paramedics had just turned into the room, guns trained on him and Malik's dead body. A matching knife to what was stuck in Malik's back in his hands. If not for the vial on his chest he'd been the obvious killer. 

The paramedics were discussing something above him, rattling off commands and arguing with another before following the instructions on the vial. Yusef could feel the prick of needle and the discomforting coldness from the fluid being injected. Before he could think of anything else, a bitter and coppery taste filled his mouth, and his limps cramped as if wishing to move but were restrained by the anesthetic from the blasted knife. Yusef didn't have to know Spanish to know what ' _anticoagulant_ ' needed to be translated to. And that shit must have been aggressive because he could feel his body grow cold, and soon his vision turned black. 

"Damn Durinson. Fili Durinson." would have been his last dying breath. But the blood and the anesthetic would have, and did, keep him from speaking those last few curse words for that damned good assassin.


	2. Message in the Sudoku

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kili comes to terms about his brother's death, barely, until he finds a mysterious number hidden in a puzzle book of Fili's.

Kili Oakenshield’s alarm was insistently trying to get him to wake. Bleary eyed and just a bit pissy he searched underneath the pillows for the source of the blaring claxon sound. This early in the morning his head pounded and his limbs were numb from the way he slept making his search for his mobile hilarious to anyone watching him. The brunette finally found the device and whooped out in victory throwing his tingling arms up promptly losing his balance and rolling out of bed.

 

The loud thump must have startled someone that was already up because Kili heard footsteps pounding up the stairs. His bed sheets were wrapped around him effectively trapping him like stuffing in a burrito. Kili heard the door open and a deep chuckle resounding.

 

“You’d think with all of your chop-suey training you wouldn’t have ended up like this.” Uncle Frerin kept laughing as he took the blasting mobile and turned off the alarm, his nephew’s fingers fluttering in the air still reaching for the device.

 

“Isf kah-rah-teh,” came a muffled reply. The mound of brunett hair and sheets rolled around on the floor attempting to get out of his bonds. He’d hate to tear the expensive fabric, his mother had just bought them for him as a welcome home gift. He missed his old cotton sheets at his dormitory.

 

“Karate, chop-suey, it’s all the same if you end up feet up on the floor as soon as you wake.” Frerin chuckled as he started back out the door, “Hurry up, your mother has lunch ready for you.”

 

“What happened to breakfast?” Kili was finally able to wrangle himself out of the sheets, head popping up with his sleep matted hair and puffy face.

 

“When it’s one in the afternoon, it’s generally called lunch, college boy.” Frerin threw a wink his nephew’s way, laughing some more as the young man scrambled to get on proper attire. He was in a pair of maroon pants, his bare chest exposed to the chill of his room. He rubbed his arms and looked for his grey trousers and a clean (enough) shirt and threw those on haphazardly before making his way down the wide set of stairs and past the foyer and into the dining room. He stopped by to say good morning to his favorite house keeper arranging a vase a flowers and inquire about her son’s recent acceptance to university.

 

Kili finally showed up in the kitchen grinning when he saw his mother standing next to the in-home chef, Aguilez, pinching a dash of something into a soup pot. “Morning, mum.”

 

“Afternoon, my boy.” Without turning around she greeted him and tilted her head to the side accepting a kiss from her son. “Have your grades been posted yet?”

 

“No,” he answered before trying to swipe a half of sandwich sitting on a plate. “But I’m sure I received a 4.0, again.”

 

“That’s good to hear.” His mother, Dis, said distractedly. Chef Aguilez, the portly but handsome Spaniard instructed her through the recipe and gave her a few tips. Kili rolled his eyes before joining his uncle Thorin and cousin Ori at the table.

 

“Morning,” Kili greeted.

 

“Kili, it’s the afternoon.” Ori pointed out quietly. The younger man, ginger haired and extremely conservative in his dress, mumbled out and stuck his nose back into his book.

 

“When it’s within the first seven minutes of my waking up, I still consider it morning.”

 

“Even if it were five in the afternoon?” Thorin asked over his Men’s Health mag and tea.

 

“Of course. And at eight minutes everything is back the way it should be.” Kili smiled at his cousin and threw a bit of crust at him. Ori smiled and threw it back, looking nervously around wondering if anyone had caught him. Kili grinned even wider at Ori’s small display of rebellion at his elder brother’s etiquette extremist ways.

 

Ori was by far Kili’s favorite cousin. The younger man was intelligent, more so than Kili, well spoken, polite, but very impressionable. Kili remembered when Ori used to follow him around the house, chirping and singing and asking all sorts of questions. Had followed Kili up a tree without hesitation and was so adventurous. Until he fell out of said tree and broke his arm. Dori, Ori’s older brother, had forbade the youngster from going outside without a chaperone for the rest of the summer effectively sealing Ori’s fate at being a studious church mouse.

 

The book that Ori was reading was in a different language and had piqued Kili’s interest. Not because it was a book, but because Ori was actually reading a javascript textbook.

 

“You know, Ori,” Kili began, Thorin slapping down his mag in practiced exasperation, a slight grin on his face. “javascript is soon to be obsolete. I don’t know why you’re reading that thing. Especially since I can teach you about HTML5 and other types of coding.”

 

“When I want your opinion, Kili,” Ori didn’t finish his sass back, embarrassed at his rude behavior he eeped and dug his nose back into the book. But Kili wasn’t done with him yet.

 

“All my computers are hibernating right now, it wouldn’t take long for me to get a simple programme opened and give you a dry run.” Kili practically bounced in his seat, he was always excited to talk about computers, programming, and anything regarding computers with anyone. Computers were his passion, after all. “What do you think?”

 

“Oh, erm,” Ori hemmed, “I’m just reading this to pass the time. I left my Kindle at home. Sorry, Kili.”

 

“Oh.” Crestfallen, Kili leaned back in his seat to allow his mother to place a bowl of hot soup and a fresh sandwich in front of him. “Of course, sure. It’s no problem, Ori.” He smiled at his cousin to let him know he wasn’t bothered. But the truth was, he felt a little hollow.

 

He’d felt like that ever since his brother had disappeared. Ten years ago now, back when he was only seventeen and his brother’s best friend, his brother had just up and vanished from campus. His apartment and things were still there, computer, I.D.’s, passport, everything important was still there. To add to the mystery there was a menial sum of money being deposited into his savings account. But Kili was sure it was just some clockwork investment that his brother, a business major, had lined up. What Kili wouldn’t give to get his hands on those databanks. He had taken advanced courses regarding tracking those sorts of things. He’d gotten an apprenticeship with a certain government office, so to say that he’d have no problem hacking into, but because of his apprenticeship he’d been ordered (signed a contract, actually), that he’d not do any hacking that would implicate him.

 

The most frustrating thing, was that it was within his grasp, to finally figure out what had happened to his brother. He’d called that day, clockwork, scheduled, greeted his family, and confirmed his travel back home to visit for the holidays, then, two days later, nothing. No Fili at the airport, no hint of a runaway, or worse, an abduction. His apartment was locked, all his things there, computer playing his favorite album on repeat, clothes strewn and a suitcase half packed. Nothing else was out of place. Nothing. Police had nothing to go on, flatmate knew nothing, neighbors knew nothing, no body had seen him. Just, _poof_ , now you see me, now you don’t

 

Kili rubbed at his right temple, a sign of stress, and thought on how his brother would have been excited at Kili’s knowledge of computers. His brother had always been crap at computers, Kili had been the one to help purchase one and had to write a manual on how to boot it up and open different applications. It was frustrating because his brother was so intelligent, but he couldn’t operate a simple enough device. Kili smiled at the lost time, the missed opportunity at so many things because of his brother’s disappearance.

 

“Killian, dear, you’d better check your levels.” Dis spoke from the kitchen, retrieving Kili’s spare glucose test kit.

 

“Thank’s mum.” Kili set about getting out the kit, pricked his finger and checked his glucose levels before eating. It was a little low, no doubt because he’d slept through breakfast, again. Sucking on his finger he put everything used in a biohazard bin underneath the sink and cleaned up his kit. “Lunch looks good.”

 

“Don’t you mean breakfast?”

 

“Don’t you mean breakfast?” Ori and Thorin asked in unison. It was like they’d rehearsed it.

 

“It’s past the seven minute mark. Now it’s lunch!” Kili dug in, and began choking on the too hot chicken soup.

 

 

Fili had finally managed to get home. A bag of groceries in one hand and his newly acquired kit in another. The celery stick in his mouth stuck out like a certain cartoon character. “What’s up doc?” Fili felt like saying, but refused to sound like a fool especially now that he was home.

 

Home. That term had changed meaning over the last few hard years. Moving from place to place before he’d built up enough of a name so as not to be bothered, he’d finally was able to get a safe house other’s wouldn’t even dare to infiltrate. It didn’t matter that there were still a few who thought that Fili was wet behind the ears and tried to enter his garage, but they’d quickly learned that Fili had meant business as far as keeping he and his boyfriend safe.

 

The term boyfriend had changed over the years too. That man was currently spread out on his stomach, naked, and snoring into the puffy mattress that Fili spoiled himself with. The log of a man didn’t even stir when Fili dropped a can of marinara sauce onto the concrete floor. Not being able to find a single fuck to give, Fili set about getting himself some dinner started. Plain pasta, marinara, and a loaf of fresh market baguette. Fili wasn’t used to spoiling himself after ten years, but these little gold nuggets really got to him. He’d cautiously dug out the small raspberry cheesecake and his mouth watered at the sight.

 

He may be disciplined, but once he’d seen this in the pastry window, he’d had to get it.

 

Four hours later, and a rousing bedmate trudging sleepily over to him, Fili was watching the news while trying to look something up on the computer. The local station broadcasted the newly graduated university students from yesterday. Fili’s heart had picked up when he’d seen a familiar smile and victorious hand waving from the otherwise steeled graduates. Durinson had wanted to be there in person, but he’d just been getting home from Mexico and had the programme recorded.

 

“Hullo, beautiful.” Slender, shaking fingers carded through Fili’s long hair, still damp from his shower after dinner. The man kissed down his neck and was quickly stopped by a strong and calloused hand.

 

“You need a shower and teeth brushed.” Fili said before going back to the computer, the coverage on the graduation on loop. “You smell like a sewer.”

 

“Love you too, Prince Charming.” The man was about to lean back and off of Fili before he whispered hotly in Fili’s ear. “You got my stuff?”

 

Fili quickly produced a small bag of condoms, lube, and some small toys Lyle wanted to try out. It was Lyle’s vice, not Fili’s, and in order to keep him focused and on task, Fili had to compromise with the shit. Fili’s consolation was that the man was current on his health checkup and had been involved with only him. He’d been thorough. And when Fili had his itch, Lyle would scratch it.

 

“Thank’s gorgeous.” The man retreated into the bathroom behind the bank of computers that he used. Fili was finally able to relax and get back to his browsing.

 

His brother had recently posted his grades on Facebook – another 4.0 – and he was currently going through the pictures that he’d uploaded last night from his graduation party. Fili hoped that he hadn’t drank last night, with his diabetes Kili shouldn’t be taking any chances. Fili almost let a smile slip when he’d seen a picture of his mum, uncle and Kili standing in front of the dormitory hall with Kili’s fresh pressed diploma and undress. The brunette looked really good and happy, he wished that he could have been there.

 

“Woo, he’s hot.” Fili whipped his head around, on the defense about his younger brother. If anyone had found out that he had surviving family he’d be in deep trouble. As it was Lyle was looking at his monitor towel drying his hair. Fili assumed he was looking at a vid of passerby’s because of the grey light on his gentle features.

 

Fili briefly wondered when he’d reached this low, of hooking up with this annoying arrogant man and allowing him in his bed.

 

“Hey, need a fuck?” Oh yeah, that was why. Convenience. Mentally shrugging Fili wiped his browser history and walked around the couch undressing as he moved to the bed. Lyle was good looking, and he was really good and distracting Fili when he’d needed it.

 

 

“So your whole family is showing up for your graduation party, huh?” Kili’s friend, Mary, asked as they walked down the street looking into various shops. “Sounds exciting.”

 

“Not as much as you’d think it would be.” Kili whined, they’d just gotten done at the dojo helping out with the brown belts and Kili was still slightly out of breath. Maybe his blood sugar was low again. “If you knew some of the people who I am related to you’d be embarrassed.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Yes.” Kili said and detoured into a sweets shop, he pulled out his mobile and took a picture and posted it on Facebook. “Blood sugar low. Time to fuel up.” The caption said. As the pinwheel of death began to spin Kili pocketed his fancy ass mobile and began to browse. “My mother’s father is the sole owner of Strex Corp., my mother is a renowned clothing designer for boutiques, my uncle is a renowned archaeologist along with his three cousins and one of mine who transcribe ancient texts, my other uncle and their rowdy cousins are security for Thorin, and the list goes on.” Mary whistled impressively. “But that’s not all. They all expect me to do IT for the company, IT! As if my legendary skills should be confined to such menial tasks that are reduced to asking ‘Have you tried the on button.’ I swear Mary, dinners with the whole family is chaotic at best.”

 

“But you love them.” Mary concluded, happy with her own choices as Kili made his.

 

“Absolutely.”

 

They paid for their sweets and hit the street again. Kili let the buttered toffee melt on his tongue and felt himself evening out, the headache he’d had since earlier disappearing.

 

“Don’t you have a brother?” Mary asked out of the blue. Kili’s head snapped around so hard he was afraid he’d pulled something. “I heard your cousin, Ori, saying something about him until he clammed right up.” She looked over to Kili who had visibly paled. “Where is he? Is it true?”

 

“Yeah,” it took Kili probably far too long to answer her, “I have a brother.”

 

“What happened to him?”

 

“He’s in the war. He hadn’t had a lot of contact with us. He’s really busy and all of his work is considered Black Ops or something.” The words rolled out of his tongue before he could even stop them. They might be the truth, Fili had previously been in the military, once he’d gotten out he’d gone straight to school. They may have signed him back up. Maybe. Probably not.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” Mary let it drop, obviously sensing that the topic was off-limits.

 

“It’s okay. My brother should be coming home soon.” Even Mary had to know that that was a lie.

 

Later that day, at home preparing to see his entire family, Kili stood in his bedroom, one that he’d shared his entire childhood with his brother. Even though the other bed had been removed when Fili came back from the military, Kili had squirreled away some knick knacks from Fili’s room and apartment that he’d left behind. Everything else were in boxes or locked in evidence at the police station. But considering that it was two items and not belonging to Fili directly, Kili didn’t seem to miss them.

 

The mirror was the same one they’d cracked as children, they were wrestling around, Kili showing Fili some moves he’d learned from Karate. Fili let him win, he knew, because Fili had always been stronger and better than Kili in everything. That was the reason why Kili had looked up to him, and teased him mercilessly when they’d found out that Fili was shite with computers. Even mobiles didn’t like him. Each one that their mother bought them Fili would inevitably destroy or somehow short out.

 

Kili smiled at the crack in the mirror, the now faded stickers that they’d put on there, the few textbooks and puzzle books that Fili had littered in his apartment. It still hurt, looking at some of those after such a long time not knowing if Fili was still alive or if he were-

 

He didn’t want to even think it. But what was the alternative that Fili was still alive but didn’t want to come home? That for some reason he’d abandoned everything at his apartment even the rest of his schooling for something else? Or for nothing? Maybe he’d finally cracked and was just living on the street? Or perhaps the military had offered him a super-secret job. Either one of those were unacceptable. Because each one suggested that Fili was a coward and Fili was anything but.

 

Sighing and adjusting his expensive clothing that he didn’t even want, he made up his mind and made his way downstairs entering like a debutante of old. The red oriental runner stretching all the way down the stairs made it even grander than it should be. People started clapping as he made his way downstairs, like some politician newly elected, and even a few cat-called for good measure. Kili was specific in that this whole event would only be family. Kili couldn’t stand the old codgers that worked with his grandfather who pawed at Kili as if hungry and starved for a young man’s attention. Creepy bastards anyways.

 

“Kili!” his uncle Throin’s friend, Bofur, came up to the brunet, “It’s about time you came down. But next time, why don’t you wear one o’ those frilly dressy things and really make a show?”

 

Kili hit Bofur, another archaeologist specializing in carbon minerals, shrugged off Kili’s potentially deadly hit with a snicker and a bob of his tuke. The two made their way around the greeting others and accepting congratulations on graduating. It had hurt, especially when he’d gotten his first degree, when he didn’t see a particular blond head. If it hadn’t been for lingering pictures around the house Kili would have forgotten what that guy had looked like. Even now, knowing that he wasn’t here, he’d look for him. Every gleam of green eyes was his, a flash of teeth in a smile, blond hair shorn so close to his head, his brother had been handsome and Kili wasn’t ashamed to admit it. There had been plenty of girls chasing him, even a few guys looked his way. Kili had giggled and teased Fili about it, but now, all he’d wished he’d done was have serious conversations with him. Like, what should I do when KerryLyn asks me out? Can you keep a watch with me when I run, sometimes I forget about my time. What’s the answer to life lived in the Oakenshield family? Can I be you be my best man at my wedding?

 

Even though Kili could imagine what his brother would say, it wasn’t quite the same when he couldn’t have the real deal. He’d missed his brother so much, and the flux of family all around him had only made him feel that much more alone. Like caught out in the middle of a storm and no lifeline or raft. Sometimes he felt like he was drowning. And sometimes, he just wanted to give up.

 

“Kili!” Ori waved from across the room, a few of Kili’s friends standing awkwardly by the door.

 

Kili spotted Mary shuffling from foot to foot in a nervous habit, he smiled and made his way towards his five friends. “Hey guys, glad you found the house alright.”

 

“You mean mansion.” Joaquim said from behind Mary. “Shit, this place is as big as the dormitory hall.”

 

“No,” Kili said sheepishly, “It’s bigger.”

 

There was an awkward pause and then some guffaws. Billy and Jean were standing on either side of Mary, the platinum blond twins looking around curiously at the many people and fancy house.

 

“Would you like a tour? You can leave your coats with Ali.” Kili indicated a young woman standing behind them in a sharp grey pant suit and white buttoned blouse.

 

\--

 

“Damn, no wonder why you had felt fidgety at the dorm.” Michael said following everyone out of Kili’s room. “Your room is huge.”

 

“Yeah, well,” Kili said, still not used to being ashamed of his families money. “I’m hardly here anyways. I volunteer, do Karate, and used to go to uni. Now that I have no more classes I feel like I’m wasting away.”

 

“Are you kidding we graduated, like, three days ago!” Billy said following a platter of bacon, mushroom crab puffs.

 

“But we haven’t had any classes in two weeks.” Kili exclaimed, “let alone homework for three.”

 

“That’s because you’ve gotten all of your stuff turned in early. The rest of us had to scrape up the last ten pages of our papers at midnight.” Mary popped a chicken skewer into her mouth, a look of pure ecstasy on her face. “Okay, seriously! I need your mother’s recipe for this chicken.”

 

“And the puffs.” Billy said around a mouthful. Michael and Jean were busy with their own hors d’ovres, Joaquim roaming around the mantle looking at the few family photo’s they had on public display. Few of Kili’s family made snide or rude comments about his friend’s behavior. Certainly his was no perfect etiquette, slouching in his dinner jacket and some sort of buttery fabric trousers. Kili itched to be in his mixed thread clothing and roll in the mud a few times, not to mention the long hair of his which was usually unruly and flowed freely was cleanly pulled back into as tidy of a bun as his mother had. 

 

"Yeah, sure, I'll ask her after the party." Kili was sick of explaining to his friends that his family was well off and didn't have to cook everything themselves. His mother took up cooking after Fili had disappeared, having to keep herself busy enough to keep her from thinking about her eldest son. 

 

Kili slouched further into the couch, ignoring everyone around him. Ori was being pestered by his eldest brother, Dori being pestered by the middle brother Nori. Thorin was being introduced by his father to new partners who'd shown up for whatever reasons they'd made up. Dis was fluttering around making sure that each of the guests had some kind of drink and knew where to find Kili to congratulate him on his graduation.

 

Mary and Jean were talking about a new interior designer's office being robbed when Joaquim had pointed out a picture on the mantle.

 

"Who's this with ya? In the picture?" Billy got up, with his drink almost sloshing out of his glass. "Is he one of your cousins?" 

 

"Blond hair? Green eyes?" Mary asked next to Kili who was trying to get out of the couch. 

 

"Yeah,"

 

"That's Kili's brother." a gentle voice answered from behind, Joaquim jumped slightly making Billy jump too. "Fili. He passed ten years ago."

 

"Mother!" Kili got up and out of the couch with help from Mary. 

 

"Oh," Joaquim retracted his finger. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know." 

 

"It happened so long ago." Dis supplied as if she were talking about some distant relative rather than her eldest son who had disappeared so mysteriously. 

 

"Mother,"

 

"Kili, I thought you said he was away in the military." Mary asked, clearly confused.

 

"Oh, no dear," Dis turned to Mary and Jean. "Fili was killed ten years ago in his dorm room."

 

"That's not true and you know it!" Kili was angry, blood and heat rising to his face. He could barely see because of his rage. His mother hadn't even looked at him when he'd approached her, deciding to look away and put on as sad a face as she could. The problem was, was that Kili knew that she was hurt. She had to be. Fili was the favorite, the smartest, the most loved. Kili had always felt like he was the second son that was treated like he didn't count. "Fili disappeared. No one knows what happened, not even the cops."

 

"Then why did you tell me that he was in the military?" Mary asked, drawing up next to him. 

 

Friends and family paused in their conversations to listen in on what was going on. Frerin was standing in the corner watching Kili with such an intense look. The youngest Oakenshield began sweating under the concentrated stairs. 

 

"The military?" Dis asked. "Fili wouldn't be asked back. He was discharged, they say it was an honorable thing, but the medical bills to help him reinsert himself as a civilian," Kili's mother kept on, and he was burning inside with a roiling anger. He felt like he was going to be sick. 

 

"Mother," He wanted to yell her name, wanted to get her to stop speaking, stop telling all those lies. But they weren't exactly lies. 

 

When Fili had returned home, medical leave at first after a roadside bomb, he'd been a mess. Jumping at his own shadow, even attacking Frerin while sleep walking. That last had kept him from going back. Whatever kind of shite they'd put him through was enough for him to be willing to kill someone for it. Soon after receiving his discharged notice, Dis had gotten him in to see the best psychologists. Nothing helped though. It was only when Fili would slink out of his own bed (the room they'd end up fitting into again since children) and settle into Kili's. They'd cuddled like they were young again, face to face Fili would watch Kili while he slept, as if he were keeping watch. 

 

Fili never shared with anyone what he was doing over there, his rank, location, everything was sealed tight. The whole family had celebrated when Fili had gotten accepted to university as a business major. He would graduate then work his way up through Strex Corp. to take over the company that Thorin was wary of controlling. Kili was so excited for his brother, he'd still had night terrors but Fili wasn't letting it control his life. 

 

"You can't expect that he'd been abducted." Dis said, sounding as if she were tired of explaining something over and over. "Or had just walked out on his family. Kili he loved you most of all. He told me that the only reason why he'd come home at all was because he had to take care of you. He said he'd feel guilty if he left you alone. Well, I know, without a doubt, Kili, that he's feeling guilty wherever he ended up."

 

"Don't. You. Dare." Kili said, seething at this point. He felt like he was going crossed-eyed with his rage. He felt a pair of arms wrap around his chest, pulling him into another hard, muscled body. "Don't you dare think that he's dead! He's not dead! He's out there somewhere and you stopped looking for him."

 

"He's dead, Kili, and there's nothing you, nor I, can do about it!" Dis whipped back to him tears streaking her otherwise perfect face. Kili gasped, realizing that just as Kili had tried to move on by going to school and Karate, Dis had created the delusion that Fili had killed himself.

 

"C'mon, Kili," he could feel Frerin's breath against his ear, "C'mon, son."

 

Frerin dragged him out of the sitting room and practically pulled and shoved him up the stairs and into his room where he collapsed with a red-hot grief. The tears that had flowed freer and heavier than when Dis had been saying those horrible things about his brother tracked down his face. He threw off his dinner jacket, not caring if he'd tear it or ruined it with his tears and snot. 

 

In the middle of his room, crying like a Disney princess flailed and poised in a helpless position, cried harder than the day when Kili had found out that Fili had disappeared. 

 

"She-she," Kili tried choking out, his sobbing interrupted what he was trying to say. Kili heard his door open and his friends came pouring in, Mary crying too. 

 

"Kili, I'm so sorry," she went to Kili and wrapped him into a hug. "I- oh, Kili, I'm sorry,"

 

It took Kili a while to gather himself and wipe the tears and snot from his face. His mates and the girls just watching him with somber eyes. Frerin stood next to the bed pacing, looking like a nervous father waiting for news at the hospital. He kept scrubbing at his face, blond hair the same colour as Fili's, scruff of beard and short, shorn hair making him look more military than private security. Fili and Frerin had gotten closer than before his brother had went off to war. 

 

"I-I know he may never come back." Kili started, the only words spoken in the room for almost ten minutes. "I know that, but I can't just give up on him like she had." Kili wrapped his arms around him, realizing that he was getting slightly light headed and should have ate tonight. But with all the memories swirling in his head and the open wound felt like Dis had only rubbed salt in it. "I miss him so much. Most of these books are his. All of those movies, that teli, almost everything is his in here. I c-can't let go of him."

 

"You don't have to, mate," Billy said from the bed, Frerin taking a seat next to him on the dark blue comforter. "You'll always love and miss your brother. You don't have to give him up. You just got to find out what you're willing to let rest to keep yourself from falling apart."

 

It was the same stuff he'd heard from other's and himself for the last ten years. He knew that his life may never have his brother in it again. But he wasn't ready to accept that. He wasn't ready to give up on his brother.

 

"He loved puzzles didn't he." Frerin said, his deep timbre bringing Kili a feeling of being a kid and safe in his uncles arms again. "He'd always collect these puzzle books and have them finished in the same day."

 

"He-he loves them, yes." Kili corrected, knowing how futile it was to put on for any longer. "I couldn't throw away anything he had."

 

"Eew," Billy looked over to Kili's desk. "You kept his garbage too?"

 

It was quiet for a few moments before Kili began laughing, loudly. Soon, Frerin and Billy followed then the rest. Kili ended up rolling on the floor holding his stomach tears coming down for another reason entirely. 

 

"No," Kili chuckled, "He does have an unfinished puzzle, though, Joaquim." Kili pointed out to a rather thick one laying down on the large bookshelf that took up one side of his bedroom wall. "It's next to the extra modems. I tried doing some of them but I couldn't figure them out."

 

"Are you kidding? With an I.Q. as high as yours?" Joaquim laughed while picking up the book. "Ooo, number puzzles!"

 

Frerin looked to Kili with a confused look. Kili shrugged his shoulders, "He's a numbers guy." 

 

"I see." Frerin said. "Well, we'd probably get back downstairs. You still haven't eaten, Kili, and I think you need to take your insulin." 

 

"Oh, right," Kili hated taking his insulin, needles made him queazy, it had taken him three years to get used to taking his own glucose levels. But having to use an actual needle made him nauseous. 

 

Frerin walked over to his nephew, who was still settled in the middle of the room like a princess, and pulled him up with one thick arm. It pained Kili in his heart when his uncle smiled, his scruff reminded him so much of Fili. 

 

"Hey, Kili?" Joaquim called his attention. "What is all of this?"

 

Confused, Kili walked over to one of his best mates and peered over his shoulder to look into the puzzle book. He gasped, looking at all the foreign letters and words filling up pages of a numbers book. "I-I've never seen this before." 

 

"It looks like code." Billy said over their shoulders. 

 

"In Farsi?" Joaquim asked.

 

"I think that's Russian." Mary pitched in, her voice light and sarcastic. Of course it was Farsi, Kili had heard his brother whimper it in the dark and when asked Fili let him know that he'd picked it up. That was the only thing he'd ever heard about his brothers' time in the war. 

 

"Well, on this next page he's only filled in some of the numbers. And they're all out of order." Joaquim said. "See here, the two should have been here, and he's repeated the number nine on this line."

 

"Let me see." Kili reached out for the book and pulled it closer. He couldn't see the inconsistencies that Joaquim did, but he could see where his brother had sketched and erased multiple things on other pages. He gave back the book and looked through the others'. They were fine, the other books were just as they should have been, filled out, finished and with zero foreign languages. "That's strange."

 

"Hey, it's a phone number!" Billy exclaimed.

 

"What?" Kili asked.

 

"Look, ten digits, here." Joaquim pointed out. 

 

Kili took the book and had Joaquim lay out the numbers, he put the numbers in his phone immediately so as not to forget them. He was gasping, thoughts racing through his mind, heart picking up and making his blood throb in his head. This was the first clue that they'd had these past ten years. Hell, this was the only clue that they'd ever found. This was Fili's own handwriting, Kili would be able to spot it anywhere, and he was ashamed that he'd never taken the time to actually look in the books. The last few pages of the book they'd found the phone number in had been filled normally. 

 

"It's his," Kili said breathlessly. "I know it's his." he'd felt like passing out, "It's his mobile."

 

He looked up to his friends and uncle wondering what to do. Kili had his mobile out, the one his mom had sworn she hadn't gotten him - now he was even more suspicious than ever - and he was about to send a message to the number, hoping that it really was his brothers. 

 

"Do it," Frerin said, just as curious and nervous as Kili was sure that he'd looked. Suddenly it occurred to him that Kili really wasn't the only one who'd had lost someone. Fili and Frerin had often gotten mistaken for as brothers, or twins when they'd both showed up with shaved heads as a gag. Fili was there for Dis when their dad had passed, and Thorin had dotted on he and Kili as if they were his own. That didn't even count in their other relatives, grandfather Thrain always had a few dollars and words to give Fili and loved talking about many things together. 

 

>>Fili?

With a press of the button the message was sent. Kili's hands were sweating, his mind reeling with questions, demands for answers, he had so much that he wanted to say, so much that he wanted to yell and scream at him for. But his heart felt like giving out until there was a 'ping' of response. He jumped, gave a wail of surprise as the mysterious number replied back. 

 

>>Kili


	3. Cakewalk In Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fili comes to the rescue, but is his reunion met with smiles? Or teeth gnashing?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: Edited after a few mistakes were pointed out. Sorry for that. :)

Fili was lying on his back, allowing Lyle to do whatever he wanted to his body. Being able to give up that control was a high on it's own. It wasn't the touch that he wanted, hell, he didn't know what he really wanted, but the things that Lyle made his body feel was enough to get him off.

 

He lay there, absorbing the warm caress around his neck, the way that the other man lay sure kisses upon his neck while he dug within Fili, searching for that bundle of nerves that almost made him cry out loud. Fili would thrash as much as he wanted, as much as he was allowed by his verbal bonds - he wouldn't allow ties of ropes or Velcro to hold him down. His nipples tingled with pain and burned from the rough attention they'd so recently had, he could feel suck bruises forming on his wide chest and he'd never felt as if he were floating on the winds of the cosmos, free from dark thoughts, free from all earthly bounds, than now. To feel as if he were all together flying yet wrapped and tethered by the hot body above him.

 

"Gonna, make you feel good, lover." Lyle promised, and he was good at keeping them. Fili let his body shudder as the man began to seriously stroke his gland, milking him of all his crashing pleasure. Fili made himself stay still for it all, it was arousing how he knew that he could move right now if he wanted, but the whole idea of letting someone else have this control was what lit the fuse of an orgasmic incendiary that would melt his core and make him want to scream his pleasure.

 

As Fili's high was building he thought he heard some device buzzing somewhere, a grossly inaccurate oriental chime that had once, via movie, captured the attention of a five year old boy in navy blue pajamas. Fili stiffened, not from orgasm but at the thought that that little boy all grown up had finally found it.

 

He threw Lyle off of him quickly, ignoring shouts of protests, and bolted to a cubby in the kitchen where he'd kept most of his radios and pre-loaded cheap mobiles. This mobile, however, had a large super amoled screen, the caller i.d. flashing with a recent photo of a man with dark brown hair, a smile so big and bright you could power a small solar charged device, and eyes that burned with unbridled youth and optimism.

 

Fili unlocked the device with a simple pattern and gazed at the new message sitting in his inbox. He opened the email and realized that he was breathing erratically, and had he not been more in control of his body he would have been shaking with adrenaline.

 

>>Fili?

 

Was all the email said, he must have just now found the number. Poking at the QWERTY display with one finger he tapped out:

 

>>Kili

 

... And smiled.

 

>>\--)-->

 

"It's him!" Kili was crying again, reaching for his uncle. Frerin practically threw Kili's friends aside as he looked down at the mobile's screen. There was no certain indicator that it indeed was Fili, but the absurd idea that it could be him was too much to not entertain.

 

"By the Maker." Frerin whispered. "Ask him, tell him to confirm himself." then, another 'ping', both men hadn't taken their eyes off the screen and immediately read the message.

 

>>You found my number in the Sudoku book. Page 43. You've got a scar on the side of your brow from when you skipped a rock and it came back to you.

 

>>Mum was furious.

 

"It's him." Kili whispered again. His hands shook, his breath making black spots in his vision, his lips numb from near hyperventilation. Kili reached up to the pock marked scar on his brow where the rock had bounced back for him. He remembers being down by the loch with Fili, they were both young and jumping from boulder to boulder trying to catch bugs flitting through the air. Fili had jumped down and found a smooth rock and flicked it just right and sent it bounding across the water before sinking into the depths. Kili had wanted to copy his brother and hastily picked up a stone, threw it and it skipped. A few stones later, not bothering to pay close enough attention, he chucked it and it bounded back, striking him in the face and waking up in the hospital. He'd found out that his brother hadn't let go of his hand since he fell by the loch. Shaking out of his reverie, Kili looked back to the screen, where the flashing caret stood, waiting orders like a good soldier. Before he could even send another reply there were several pops going off downstairs, sounding like someone had uncorked champagne bottles.

 

"What the hell?"

 

Screams had followed and Kili froze in fear, Frerin went directly to the door and peered down the hall. There were a couple of, of, something, Kili was still in denial about it that lodged itself into the wood of the door jam. Frerin ducked back in patting at a bit of blood dripping down the side of his face.

 

"Out the bathroom. Next room." Frerin spoke in a voice that made it difficult to disobey. "Do it quietly."

 

Mary and Jean clutched to one another, Billy coming up behind them to hold them, Jean most importantly. Joaquim was standing stunned by the bed staring at the blond older man whose face was set in stone. Kili had tried to remember if he'd ever seen his uncle look anything but relaxed and happy - there wasn't a time, and this was very disconcerting. Frerin reached to Kili still on the floor and the five of them were shuffled, as quietly as possible for as hard as they were panicking, by Frerin who had taken on the persona of a trained security officer and ex-military captain. Through the squeaky and luxurious bathroom and into the adjoining room that was originally Fili's. They dove for cover when more shots went through the walls and embedded into the opposite side of the room.

 

Kili and Frerin landed behind a bed that was never used and Frerin cursed for not having his weapons on him. "Are you hit?" Frerin asked, though the sound of his voice was distant, distracted sounding.

 

"What?" Kili asked.

 

"Are you hurt?" Frerin asked a little harder than he'd intended. Kili shook his head and looked worriedly at his friends who hadn't made any sounds as they tried to hide. It was amazing, if he was able to look at the situation more clinically than through panic black blinders that they were all in a sort of shock that this was happening. It still wasn't registering that they were being shot at.

 

Distantly they could hear other pops going off within the house, more screams and thumps as bodies hit the floor. Uncle Frerin let a little bit of fear show through his eyes but had tried to hide it from Kili just as quickly as it had shown in his ice blue eyes. "It'll be alright, son." Frerin tried reaching out to calm Kili down but jumped when the brunet's door had been kicked in. The loud crash brought in three distinct shooters, and even Kili could tell that they were trained. He looked over to Frerin, who was getting ready to stand up and take the men.

 

"No," Kili whispered almost inaudibly, "don't, please."

 

"Kili, you're most likely more trained than any of these guys in hand to hand, I know how to disarm them, but I guarantee you, they'll be better than me." Frerin looked into Kili's eyes. " _I_  need  _your_  help."

 

"No, I-I can't," The footsteps got closer and Kili visibly shook with fear.

 

>>\--)-->

 

Fili glared at the device in his hands, there were no new messages. Perhaps Kili was just having a mini heart attack.

 

"Whoever that is, sweetie, he ain't calling you back." Lyle swept up behind him, more than a little upset at Fili leaving him on the bed. "I've got something that can take your mind off of him."

 

"Go," Fili gave the short order, his eyes portraying just the type of fear inducing promise if Lyle didn't listen to him.

 

The blond assassin just kept staring at the mobile, wondering what he'd said that made Kili not want to respond. He'd thought that his little brother would have been excited to know that he was alive. Would have had a thousand questions just for him. But the bone resounding silence spoke otherwise.

 

Keeping his disappointment hidden under layers of a cold killer, Fili went over to the bed to pick up his discarded clothes and get dressed. He was just going through his mind on different ways that he could have approached his return to the surface of the living. It hadn't gone exactly how he'd imagined it would. Fastening the last button on his black canvas trousers his mobile buzzed again. Hurriedly he looked and saw that same warm smile, except that this was a call rather than a message.

 

"Kili," he answered softly, wondering what were Kili's first words going to be to him after ten long years.

 

“Fee?” came Kili’s scared and panting breath, his words barely a whisper past the mobile’s receiver. The back of Fili’s neck began prickling with fear. Something was wrong.

 

“What is it?” Fili’s steely voice made Kili feel as if it were Frerin speaking to him again, coercing Kili into attacking the men with guns.

 

“They’re shooting at us.” Kili said and more bullets hit the wall above his head, Fili could faintly hear other voices with Kili, presumably in the closet where they hid. “I don’t know who they are. Men with guns,”

 

“How many and who is with you? Frerin, Thorin, or Dwalin?”Fili asked as calmly as he could while pulling on a thin black and gold accented jumper and then strapping on his multiple blades, a kidney holster wrapped tightly around his upper body cradling him firmly, stiff from sheathed blades. Lyle came out of the bathroom, face flushed from a shower and was staring at Fili, waiting for an order while looking miffed. Fili bent down to slip into his military grade boots, black leather and tan canvas, and slipped in a few more knives and garrote wire.

 

“Uh, five are with me. And Frerin was just with us. I don’t know who else is a-alive.” Kili made to hush people around him, the receiver sounded like he was pressing the mobile against him to quieten their call.

 

Fili didn’t wait for Kili to get done, he connected to Bluetooth from his mobile to the headset in his helmet. He turned over the machine’s engine and waited impatiently for Lyle to open the garage door. Fili’s black Ducati Monster 1500 roared as he held the clutch while turning the accelerator. As soon as he had clearance he released the clutch and allowed a bit of fishtailing before shooting off and into the street. It was part drama part impatience that made him do it, but either way, it settled something inside that made him want to hurry. Kili may not have long.

 

“I’m on my way, Kee.” Fili allowed himself to adopt his old personality reaching out to somewhere deep inside of himself that he hadn’t seen in over a decade. His life in the military had made sure that some part of him was covered to allow a killer to emerge. Funny thing was, it didn’t take nearly as much effort to become efficient in killing. It was like he was made for it.

 

“When?” Kili pleaded, Fili could hear pops of gunfire distantly, but close enough it sounded like the shooter was just on them.

 

“Four minutes.” Fili gunned it down the streets, zig-zagging around cars and even a few lorries, and made hairpin turns to make the corners. Gritting his teeth in part fear and part anger, Fili kept his mind on his baby brother. He needed him, now more than ever, and he wasn’t going to abandon him. Not like he had before.

 

 

Fili dropped the motorbike in front of the northern stoops of the gravel car port as quietly as he could, he didn’t hear any more pops of gunfire, but whoever was here still had their vehicles parked on the lawn and over stone fountains. The door in front of Fili led to the guest wing foyer, it wasn’t a proper English mansion, hell, and this house wasn’t built like most. Iron and stone, it felt more like a castle, but clever masonry allowed for the house to be lit and the polished marble made the light bounce through the halls. Colorful tapestries were hung as in the olden days, portraits and hard-wood paneled walls to break all that stone leant to a creep house. But it was home to Fili and Kili, it reached deep down into something they thought they knew.

 

The side of the house was peppered with chipped stone, deeper into the house was where Dis and their father had covered the stone walls with plaster, to make it seem more 21st century. The plaster was where he’d seen more of the blood and bullets. He ignored the bodies littering the floor, spilled champagne, wine and hors d’ovres scattered among the floor like trash spilt by a dog. Fili had his knives out and in each hand, the tight jumper he wore made no sound as he turned and inspected closets and closed doors. Most of the doors revealed more of the dead, some he recognized, other’s he hadn’t ever seen before. His heart clenched at the loss of family, but he kept moving on.

 

He kept an ear out for his brother, for any movement in the house, but there was none. Fili silently cursed to himself as he made his careful way around the corner from the back of the kitchen where the gas stove burned whatever mash was on there, and towards the grand staircase. He’d barely seen the shooter move from his peripheral to widen his stance and level a gun his way. The man was taller than him, solidly built and had a short automatic gun in his hands and pointing at Fili’s face.

 

The barrel of the gun raised quickly, instead of pushing the muzzle away from him he pulled it down to avoid the bullets striking anyone upstairs. The floors were wood and could invariably allow a bullet to pass through and possibly hurt anyone there. He used his knife to pull the gun down with his left hand, his right jabbed towards the body and he hit Kevlar. The knife slid against the plating and he swiped back up to get at the right arm of the shooter. It hit flesh and tendons as it cut through, to practically de-limb him from the elbow. The man screamed just before Fili used his right elbow and put all his weight into throwing him against the wall and slammed his knife home into the man’s unprotected throat.

 

Gurggling noises were made as Fili quickly made his way upstairs, aware that anyone could start shooting him from behind on the landing above him but there were other doors in front of him and he had his knives ready for anyone who came around the corner. None did, not pausing he turned the corner and ran into a heavy body. Long black hair had escaped the bun, streaks of grey that shone white against the moonlight coming through the windows. In his rush to get to Kili, Fili just realized that all the lights were out and was difficult to see clearly who he had ran into, that is until he spoke.

 

“Who in the-“ the voice ground out while someone else muscled their way past him and tried to throttle Fili. His adrenaline made him dodge the attack and he struck quickly with the hilt of his knives.

 

“Son-of-a-“ Dwalin called out after being struck.

 

“Where’s Kili?” Fili’s voice sounded flat and empty to his own ears, ignoring Dwalins shout of pain. Bright blue eyes still hadn’t recognized Fili for who he was yet and that did interesting things to cause his heart to clench and a lump rise in his throat. He looked over the two and decided that instead of wasting precious time trying to get to his brother FIli turned and kept up the landing aware that Thorin had yelled after him and two sets of dress shoes followed him.

 

Not waiting for his family, Fili made the second landing and scanned the open area to notice at least two of the shooters were down.

 

“Fili?” Thorin made his confusion sound like a demand, to which he paid no heed. They heard a cry of anguish coming from down the hall to the right, where Kili and his bedrooms were.

 

Fili took off at a dead sprint, not fazed by the man who stepped out to raise a gun on him again. Moving as quickly as he could, Fili exploded with his arms, using the momentum just as he jumped knees first into the man’s chest. The shooter gave out a grunt of surprise as he was winded and fell back with his arms extended, gun going off. Fili used the momentum forward to roll and kick up to his feet and ram right into the second guy behind the first shooter. This thug was a twig of a man but a look into his exposed eyes pinned him as unstable. The Cuckoo shooter screamed as he was slammed into a hallway table with a vase of eucalyptus and various other plants, water spilling out everywhere. Fili got his feet under him and turned to throw a knife into the first shooter who was trying to get up. He was then struck from behind, on the back, by Cuckoo’s butt end of his gun, the man screaming a war cry. Fili fell forward a bit and kicked out behind him, narrowly missing the crazed man’s knees.

 

“Fuck, man,” an Irish accent cursed out, “it’s you!” The man drew a bead on Fili once again. Fili rolled to the right as he fell, trying to reach one of his blades in his kidney holster. The man let off a few pops from his gun before he was tackled by an angry Dwalin. Meaty fists connecting with the slighter man they fell to the ground rolling and fighting for survival.

 

Wasting no time, Fili stood up and bypassed the grappling men and entered his old room and walked right into a barrel.

 

“No,” a disbelieving sound was made in the room. “No, it can’t be,” the gun in Fili’s face hadn’t waivered. “You took this job too?”

 

Fili looked down the barrel and into the green eyed man in front of him. He was slightly scruffy with a day’s worth of beard, thin, wiry. The gun was carefully lowered to point at Dwalin behind him. The gun went off, making Fili deafer in his left ear than before, but he didn’t flinch.

 

“Get up, get away from him.” The man’s stern voice echoed down the plaster hallway. Dwalin and Cuckoo froze at the gun shot and Dwalin hesitatingly put his hands up in surrender. Cuckoo grabbed his gun that was still strapped around his chest and pointed it at Thoirn who was hidden behind the wall. “Why didn’t you kill them?” Fili winced internally.

 

“He's mute. He won't answer you.” The second voice within the room echoed out, torchlight cutting across the darkness and onto a few faces made familiar through Kili’s Facebook. “We’re here for something else, unless Durinson is here to stop us?”

 

Fili leveled a look towards the man’s dark silhouette, he couldn’t tell who it was, but the lilt made him think it was an ex-accomplice from a few years ago. But that man was an accomplished mimic so it made it hard to tell right off. Fili strode confidently into the darkened room, pulled out his own flashlight, then scanned the room for more occupants. Frerin lay in a bloody heap near the ruined bed, four of Kili’s friends kneeled, crying and sobbing next to a shaking Ori. Kili was nowhere to be found.

 

“Dammit!” Cuckoo exclaimed, spitting out blood. “I fought you said that Durinson was one o’ us?” He pushed Dwalin in the back with his gun forcing the man to stutter step and kneel in front of Fili. Thorin was more regal in his movements and lowered himself gently, though hesitantly. Fili’s torchlight was fixed on his brunet uncle, eyes measuring the man’s heated look.

 

“He is, you idiot.” The wiry man, Moulder, he remembered, said from behind him. “Otherwise he’d be kicking the shit out of us.”

 

“Well, he kicked me in the chest, didn’t he?” Cuckoo rubbed at his plated vest tenderly. “All I said was good ev’nin’.”

 

“Yeah, of course you did.” Moulder’s eyes rolled so heavily Fili could practically hear it. There seemed to be two parties present besides Fili. He could tell by the way they grouped together. The men looking askance and wary of the other group. “Bet he thought that you were trying to take the trophy from him.”

 

Fili looked over his shoulder to Moulder, carefully studying the man for more clues. It was better when most people thought he was a mute, others hadn’t ever believed the rumor, and the rest hadn’t lived long enough to find out.

 

“Old Man Oakenshield,” the other man standing in front of Ori began, “did you find him? That  _ublyudok_  is probably hiding in a safe room.”

 

Fili shook his head answering the direct question. Fili turned his torch onto the other set of men in the corner, obviously they had been wrested away from the prizes kneeling in front of the lead man on the other side of Moulder. Fili racked his brain for the man’s identity, why couldn’t he remember who he was? Brown, close cropped hair, black eyes, pale skin, cheeks and chin that could hurt if punched, and a fair physique on him. Vaguely, Fili remembered that he had a tattoo, or thought he had. Maybe on his thigh? High and on the inside.

 

“Now he remembers me.” The man grinned, he was very handsome, striking in his visage. “I guess that last time is Serbia was enough to make you forget me.”

 

Ah, Sasha Pronichev. He was by far one of the best assassins in the business. He used to work for some Russian general or another, he had trained Fili when he had first defected.

 

"Durinson is very good at what he does. If he was here to kill all of us, it would have happened." Sasha waved his torchlight around, widening up the rest of the room for Fili to see. "Though, barely."

 

\--

 

Kili hid in a linen closet with his mother and a few other family members Kili barely remembers. The shooting and the screaming had died down when another group of men had come in just as Frerin was about to confront the first group of shooters. When the second group had entered both of the teams began shouting at another and threatening to shoot each other. Kili and Frerin had jumped up from behind the bed and make their way back through the bathroom. Bullets began ricocheting off the stone tiled walls and one had hit Frerin as they'd gotten away. That was when his uncle told him to keep running, well now he wanted to run back and get to his uncle who’d never made it to the closet with him.

 

Kneeling in the closet and trying to keep quiet. Some of the other family members had been rounded up and thrown together in separate rooms and guarded by the gunmen. Kili had ducked into the linen closet and about screamed when they'd realized they weren't the only one's in there.

 

"Did you see your uncle?" Dis asked of her son. He shook his head and instantly regretted it as a wave of nausea struck him. "He and Dwalin went looking for you and Frerin. I tried getting dad to get out to the garage but he ran for grandfather."

 

"Dis," one of the others in the cabinet gasped at the pain, it looked like he'd been hit in his head and Kili kept trying to stop the blood flow. "you need to be quiet. They could still be looking for us."

 

Dis quietened, but Kili could tell she wanted to say more. Instead she kept pressing linens onto the wound on her cousin. Kili had heard of him before, another military man, he had shocking red and white hair and the confidence given to boars. Kili respected him for his attitude in the middle of chaos if nothing else. Just then, they heard an exclamation and Dis peered out through the closet slats.

 

"Fili?" Dis' disbelieving voice bled through the closet door and something in Kili froze at the name uttered. He tried looking through the slats but couldn't see anything.

 

"It's Fili," Kili said, trying to move across his mother in order to see anything more of his brother. Then there were grunts and a thud as struggled to get closer. A hand like a vice encircled his upper arm to stop him.

 

"No," his mother cried out in a hiss, "Don't."

 

The command was there and Kili wanted nothing more than to break free from her ds grasp and run to his brother. Then there was another shot that rang out and cursing from out in the hall. The colorful words were drowned out by Kili's heartbeat, his heart stuck somewhere in his throat making it hard to breath. His vision swam as he realized that he hadn't eaten in almost ten hours and hadn't even taken his insulin. He knew he was going to go into shock and then possibly a coma if he didn't get anything in him now. But being pinned down the way they were he couldn't even utter a single word to warn his mother and uncle. All they could do was wait for help. Or a bullet.

 

\--

 

"It is good to see you, my young friend." Sasha pulled Fili into a hug and he heard his younger cousin Ori whimpering. "But tell me, do you have any idea where the old man is?"

 

Fili shook his head again thinking as quickly as he could for a way to not get everyone killed here. He still had to look for his brother. Fili cringed at what he would have to do, but he knew that this would be the only way to get the answer he needed. He pulled out his mobile, opened an application and pulled up a picture.

 

Sasha and Moulder leaned forward and looked into the screen. Sasha shook his head but Moulder crooked an eyebrow. "Why aren't you here to kill us?"

 

Fili stood in the middle of the darkened room, surveying the layout, the bodies on the floor and those standing over them. He quickly tried to calculate the best way to address the problem that was Shasha. The man was just as capable and dangerous as he was, if not better because the man knew Fili’s techniques better than the other way around. Dwalin and Thorin kneeled on the floor nearest the door, hands on their heads and glaring at Fili as if he were to blame for their being captured. Kili’s friends including Ori, a short haired ginger who looked entirely too soft and sheltered to be anywhere near this madness, whimpered and sobbed as guns were pointed towards them. If he could, he’d try not to focus so much on non-members of his family. But most importantly, he had to try and find Kili.

 

“If he were here to kill us all, he’d have done it.” Sasha said with all the importance of a Russian mercenary. “But I expect he’s not looking for the old man, are you?”

 

Fili tried not to allow any reactions show on his face. He wasn’t sure if they were talking about his grandfather, the owner of a very large, industrious company, or his great-grandfather, who was near his death bed and yet still able to cause all manner of trouble with the touch of his nurse-aide button. But, sure, they weren’t who he was looking for. Although, the implication that he was there for someone else as a contract was just as threatening to the men in the room. He had to pick someone in this room, though, someone, with a gun.

 

There was uncomfortable shifting out of the corner of his eye, behind the unbound prisoners, to the group of uniformed men and women with precision assault rifles. Fili detested guns, he didn’t care for them one iota, though he did know their importance and could use them with some competence when needed. His true skill came with his knives. And he made sure everyone knew it. Inspired by the way the group in the corner, near an empty dresser, collected themselves like bison in a winter storm. Huddling together and preparing for the worst.

 

He wasn’t after either of them. But he knew the two sides would be trouble if he tried to get to his objective without bloodshed. His family was innocent, and he intended to keep them alive. So, knowing Sasha and his men wouldn’t dare attack a contracted killer of his caliber, Fili withdrew his knife, his favorite one with the decorative handles. Engraved on them were geometric designs from his Nordic heritage. It was his trademark knife indicating a contract kill. Guns raised and Fili doubted his plan would actually work without more death. That was until one of them spoke up.

 

“Christ, don’t you know who that is?” One of the men said, forcibly lowering a teammates gun. “He’s giving us a warning, you twats.” The man shuffled nervously towards the door. “If he’s giving us that then he won’t kill us. Let’s go.”

 

“Move out.” A sterner voice followed after a bit and the rest of the group gathered as one and shifted out the door and down the hall.

 

A low whistle sounded out behind Fili. “I sometimes forget how desirable you are when you do that.”

 

“Are you serious?” The Cuckoo practically yelled. “The man’s a complete psycho.”

 

“Doesn’t take away from his beauty.” Sasha rounded on Fili, his flat brown eyes may have been gleaming with want, but with the low light, Fili couldn’t be sure, it could just be mania. All he knew was that he’d greatly increased the chance of his family getting out unscathed. But before anyone could do anything else, Fili raised the knife he still held in his hand, turned on the ball of his foot, and threw it towards Cuckoo. The man deflected it with his gun and it landed a hairs breadth away from a brunet head peeking into the room.

 

The warning bells kicked on in the contracted killers, and all eyes focused in on the new comer. Cuckoo just began turning when Fili lunged toward him before he could let off a round into his brother. Kili screamed in alarm and was being pulled back by all too familiar hands. Chaos erupted behind him as Fili drove a knife into Cuckoo’s back, the man not even twitching as he yelled in surprise and anger. His shooting hand was now shite. And that was a small miracle.

 

Sasha cursed creatively in Russian and Moulder was engaging in an all out brawl with Dwalin. Poor Moulder. Fili could only guess that Thorin was going to try to get Ori and the other’s to safety, but Fili’s attention was on his brother. The brown eyes that he’d gotten a flash of, and the fear and apprehension there. How dare these men, the person to stage the contract, put anything else in his brother’s eyes besides happiness. Rare prickles of emotion bubbled helplessly inside of Fili, trying to grab hold of something he’d promised he didn’t need again. Quashing it as well as he could in the moment he grabbed another knife, struggling with grappling the Irishman from behind, and tried to slide blade into flesh.

 

But the wiry man was just too slippery, Fili himself was pretty nimble, but where Fili was trained in structured martial arts, the man was entirely used to street fighting and unorthodox techniques. But with Fili being lower to the ground and quite a bit bulkier than Cuckoo, he had his strength. And as soon as he was able to pin the man down, which was in no small amount of time, Fili was able to slide the knife home. Cuckoo howled in pain, the blade slipping past the Kevlar vest and twisting in his gut. But the man didn’t stop trying to throw punches. Fili was caught twice in the jaw, but nothing more than glancing blows. He retracted the knife from his abdomen and slammed it into the man’s eye socket, effectively killing him.

 

It was bloody, gushing blood and he would leave quite a mess on the wood floors that he learned to crawl on.

 

“Fee!” panic, fear, adrenaline, and confusion laced Kili’s voice. Fili looked up quickly, distracted by the congealing mess below him. Over Kili’s shoulder was his mother who was looking at Fili as if he were a stranger, another killer in the shadows from which turned their world upside down. He could see the pain in her face, the pinch of worry and downright fear and disgust. Her eyes reflected a myriad of emotions, including confusion. Here was her eldest, thought to be dead – if the death certificate Fili unearthed said anything – pinning a man down and ruthlessly killing him. For the first time since initially leaving for the military, Fili wondered what he looked like now.

 

Blue eyes, dull and lifeless now thanks to a trustless life full of death, fear, corruption, and dissent. Blond hair, long and pulled back into a scruffy bun. Scars on his face, none too great but definitely more than what he’d left with, and most likely suck bruises on his neck and jaw. He couldn’t even guess the look he was giving her, most likely flat, dry, but with just a hint of madness for someone who’s known as the Killer’s Killer.

 

“Oh,” Sasha, the bastard was still conscious. During the ensuing fight Fili tracked the movements behind him and learned that Dwalin hadn’t been slacking on any of his training. Moulder had been taken out by a nice throat punch and a roundhouse kick to the temple. The man would live, unfortunately, but he’d have one killer headache afterwards. Fili hated being around the man when he came out with less than what he went in with; or in his case, more bruises and concussions that before. Sasha stood with a pistol aimed at one of Kili’s friends, no-one to Fili. “How is it, that a spoilt, rich boy, who’s been sheltered by mommy and daddy, know’s your name? Fili?”

 

The blond winced, realizing that his whole world was about to come crashing down. He’d survived this long without anyone realizing who he was, that he was related to some of the most powerful men in the world. That his father was somewhat obscured helped, and his uncle (whom he took after in looks) was a security officer who kept his head down. But now that Kili had let slip that he knew him, things were going to go to shite.

 

Sasha took his time, taking stock of the family members around and Fili knew what he was seeing. Thorin’s eyes, Frerin’s hair and jaw, his mother’s chin and skin coloring. But what was most incriminating, was how of all the time that Sasha had known Fili no one had ever reached toward Fili. For help, warding off, want, nothing, Fili had a protective bubble that none could penetrate. Fili made the move, otherwise your over ambitious fingers got sliced off. But the way Kili had tried crawling towards Fili before their mother wrapped her arms around the younger lad, was what made Sasha re-evaluate his decisions. Knife still embedded in the man’s skull, Fili drew himself to his full height, partially shielding his brother and mother from Sasha’s gun. The hard look in the Russians eyes were almost unreadable.

 

“They’re your family?” though the question was posed more of a statement, the question was in Sasha’s eyes, before it was quickly replaced with dread and fear. So this man, his mentor, feared him too, interesting. “No one knew.”

 

“Kinda the point.” Fili finally said, some of the rarest words spoken in his back alley career. Sasha flinched satisfyingly as his gun moved marginally back towards him. Fili lifted an eye brow, twitched a finger, and the gun was efficiently holstered before his finger was resting again.

 

“I-“ the unusually stammering left Fili feeling a bit let down. He expected the man to be able to hold himself better than that. “They were priced. I-“

 

“I don’t know the one’s who are dead.” Fili shifted his stance, as if he were going to pounce at anytime. He was tightly coiled and willing to release a bit more of pent up energy. “But if I do find one I cared about in the morgue. You can bet I’ll be seeing you again.”

 

“The American’s showed up first. You know my team is more precise than that.” Sasha began backing up, heading for the opposite room, Kili’s room. And a fit of possessiveness (or was is protectiveness) reared it’s ugly head to spur him into re-directing the man. But he let him be. Not letting Sasha know just who was Fili’s biggest weakness was. Despite his instincts, he did raise his eyebrow higher, as if mocking, and looked down at Cuckoo. “He’s new.” Was all Sasha offered. He exited the room entirely before Fili could change his mind about his mentor. He knew that if there was a bounty on his grandfather, then Sasha would have exclusively went after him. Sasha wasn’t into mass murdering, but apparently a group of American’s were.

 

Fili was already mentally leaving a Post-It as a reminder.

 

“Fee?” came the more subdued and equally eager tenor of his brother. It snapped Fili’s bones straight. He was in trouble.

 

 

\--

 

When Kili had poked his head around the corner he didn’t actually expect his brother to be standing there, let alone so close. And when a gun was leveled at him he flinched and tried to withdraw back behind the corner of the door, but the lightning quick reflexes of his brother captured his attention and kept it against his aghast at the blatant kill before him. His brother was a wild and beautiful animal, trained to kill and to strike with surety. He’d known this from when Fili had returned from training, that the golden haired young man had aged twenty years in just as many weeks away.

 

Fili’s hair was pulled loosely into a messy bun at the middle of his head, four small braids, two from each temple, drawn up in the bun, some hair was loose and framed his face artistically. Fili’s full beard was thick but short, and his ears weren’t adorned with earring though he still had the holes for them. Kili found himself missing the mismatched cuffs and colored studs in his brother’s ears and the jangling leather and metal bracelets and black clothing. But the visage of his brother was a relief to Kili even if he was missing personal and child-hood identifiers. He looked like he was a carbon copy of typical bad guy assassins with leathers, weapon harnesses, and that dead-fish look in their eyes, flat and apathetic.

 

“Fee?” Kili tried again after the man dragged the unconscious one out the room and down through the bathroom.

 

Kili watched Fili’s shoulders tense, but otherwise hadn’t moved from the spot where he monitored the other men. The one below him cooling. Before Kili could get out of his mother’s still tight grasp he felt another pair of arms wrap around him and tackle him to the ground, wetness seeping into the collar of his shirt.

 

“Oh, Kili, I was so frightened for you! I thought that he was going to shoot you!” Mary sobbed against Kili’s collarbone. Kili looked past her and to his brother who was leveling a gaze at him, or Mary. “And when your uncle attacked them from behind and you got away,” another choking sob, “I was so relieved.”

 

“He tried to kill you?” Fili indicated with a nod towards the bathroom door. Kili shook his.

 

“It was one of the American’s.” Kili didn’t know why he was suddenly taking the other man’s side, only that what he was saying was the truth, “They came in first, that man came in here after the others.”

 

“That’s right,” Joaquim seemed to be getting ahold of himself, though he looked like he was still heavily in shock. His voice was tight, higher pitched than it normally was, as if he were in a dream-like state. “That bloke was trying to get them to leave. They almost did until you came in.” Though the words could have been accusing, Kili chose not to take it that way. They were all in shock, except Dwalin and Thorin, who seemed to be ignoring everything else around them to help Frerin who was still laying in a pool of blood unconscious.

 

Kili was absentmindedly rubbing Mary’s back as she kept crying into him, but his sole attention was on the blond man before him. Fili looked like he wanted to pace, intense blue-green eyes stormy with anger and a swell of emotions Kili was unfamiliar with. His brother was currently watching Dwalin and Thorin tend to Frerin, who was rousing and groaning in pain, to sit up carefully. The back of Frerin’s head was bloody and matted where he’d been struck.

 

When Frerin and he had gotten up to fight back, Kili wasn’t prepared to come up against so many at once. Thankfully, though, Frerin had kept one of the shooters in front of him while Kili attempted to fight off the rest that followed the man through the door. They were quickly pushed back into Fili’s bedroom and were being threatened with being shot when Frerin told Kili to run. He hadn’t realized that there had been a gun trained on him while he ran. That was startling news.

 

“Kee?” A stern and rough voice sounded just above Kili as he watched his savior uncle come back to life, eyes dull with unrecognition, the knot on his head will cause him to be nauseous for the rest of today at least.

 

“Wha-?” Kili spoke unintelligently.

 

“I asked if you were all right.” Fili reached out a hand to pull his brother up but Mary flailed against Kili and prevented his brother from reaching his fingertips.

 

“Get away!” She threw her hands about as if chasing off insects. “You’re just like them. You’re a monster! Get away from us.”

 

“Enough!” Kili yelled unceremoniously. He gripped Mary around her shoulders and shook her, anger coloring his face red, he could feel his lack of sugar making him easily irritated. “Stop it now. That’s my brother. And in case you didn’t notice he saved us.”

 

“But he killed that man.”

 

“Who was about to kill all of us, Mary.” Joaquim offered up, he was panting, as if he was having an anxiety attack. Kili wasn’t sure that he wasn’t, however.

 

“I don’t care. He’s evil,” Kili had had enough of her. He pulled himself from his very silent mother behind him, still gripping his arms painfully. But getting up so quickly while his blood sugar was low wasn’t such a good idea. His head felt like it had helium in it and he was tilting in a direction – he couldn’t tell which direction, though. And his mouth felt like cotton balls were alive in there and vibrating intensely, which was new.

 

A pair of strong arms wrapped around Kili and pulled him against a solid chest. Kili looked up through clouded eyes and recognized the concerned pair before him.

 

“Fee.” He said again, like a decadent chocolate settling on his tongue, melting so silky smooth and fine. He enjoyed being able to say the name without any negative emotions swelling in his chest, making it hard to breath. “You’re really here.” Kili felt like he was slurring, but he could care less, because his brother was indeed alive.

 

“You called.” Fili said succinctly. Lowering his brother onto his childhood bed, Fili decided to speak some more, something he’d grown unused to. He had Kili bridal style sitting across his lap, and he brought a calloused thickened hand onto his face, taking in his temperature but making it more intimate than they’d ever been. Kili’s health, though, seemed to be more important than what brother’s should and shouldn’t be doing. Kili was just building up a cold sweat, his eyes unfocused, and wondered if Fili could feel him trembling. That could be shock setting in though. Fili looked into his eyes, measuring, concern written in those sapphire orbs rather than reflecting on his face. “As soon as I heard your voice, I couldn’t stay away. You needed help.” Fili said in that same soothing voice as Kili had grown up with. It had brought back so many memories, of being held as a child while the storm raged outside. Of being coddled when he’d stubbed his toe. Of being soothed after their father died.

 

All those memories, however couldn’t keep Kili from remembering one simple fact. “You left that for this whole time?” Kili tried struggling against his bonds, but his limbs were too weak to do anything. He knew he was going into shock from the night, and sweating because of his lack of proper nutrition.

 

“I had hoped you’d find it sooner.” Fili said, lifting Kili’s hand in his, then suddenly looking around, as a pup would to a strange sound. “You need your medication. And I need to leave.”

 

“No!” Kili tried struggling again. Frerin interrupted them.

 

“He hasn’t taken his medication.” Frerin was sitting, precariously, on the edge of Fili’s bed, his own brother hovering over him. “I assume you’ve been following him. You know he’s got-“

 

“Diabetes, yes.” Fili managed to say the word as if he were chastising, annoyed, and worried all at once. “I told you all those sweets were going to go to your ass.” Fili said dryly still distracted by whatever he thought he heard. He knew, though, that Kili developed the same type of insulin deficiency as their father, who’d had it since birth. Kili was also once overweight, spoiled by sweets, and inactive. That was until after his diagnosis, a few months after Fili disappeared. Kili had made an immediate and dramatic change in lifestyle and had even developed a penchant for knives, as, it seems, Fili has. Kili couldn’t help but smile seeing how similar they still were for all their differences.

 

Fili chuckled as Kili tried to sit up further, but the blond kept him right where he had him. Cuddling like a child would a parent.

 

“Police are here.” Dwalin said from the bathroom, he’d brought in a wash cloth to wipe away the blood from Frerin’s head. Underneath and all around him, Kili felt Fili go iron stiff.

 

\--

 

Fili’s hands stopped checking over his brother’s various scrapes and bruises he obviously wasn’t aware of in favor of Dwalin’s news. He knew that the police would eventually make it to the house, there was far too much noise being made for there not to be anyone calling in the disturbance, but for them to take this long was suspect. The house had more than standard security, not to mention Dwalin and Frerin’s almost literal army of security personnel that assist Thorin on some of his more dangerous dig sights patrolling the house. Where were the rest? A party this big would warrant at least a third of the security they had.

 

“Fee?” Kili slurred in his arms struggling against the hold to try to sit up.

 

“He needs his medication.” Dis said from near the door, still consoling a visibly upset Mary. The girl, as Fili was now willing to call her, was a blubbering mess of shock, anxiety, and desperation. Fili’s mother, still just as beautiful as he’d last seen her, though unwilling to accept her grey hair like Thorin, had brown hair, peridot eyes, and a wicked evil smile behind red lips. To say that Kili had gotten a lot of his looks from their mother was an understatement.

 

"Where are they?" Because they could be stowed somewhere other than the kitchen fridge. Fili lifted his brother up smoothly, as if he weighed nothing. Truth was, and he would, in another life, tease his brother about his weight if not having to be carried like a bride through bloodstained halls and through body littered rooms. The stench of death and greed assaulted Fili's nose, he can't remember if the smell had been this thick, this cloying, when he'd first come through the lower level of the building.

 

Dis and Thorin pushed their way into the kitchen's swing door, a chef was blocking the way stuttering and shivering in fear with his butcher's knives. Fili gave the latino man a once over and ignored him in favor of keeping his brother from going into dangerous shock. Jean and Dwalin, following the family closely, cleared off the counter of abandoned dishes and food to make way for Kili. The boy was shivering, teeth chattering and eyes rolling back, sweat soaking his clothes.

 

"Kee," Fili found himself whispering and petting his brother's forehead. Dis took the proper dosage out of the bottle and administered it to her youngest son. Everyone crowded around them and all Fili wanted to do was push everyone away and keep them back. It was hard remembering that Kili didn't just belong to him.

 

"It's going to take a while." Dwalin said, as if it were an everyday reminder. And the look on Fili's mother and uncles, it seemed like this wasn't the first time Kili had pushed the limits.

 

"He thinks he's invincible," Frerin said from between Joaquim and Mary, Frerin, with his matching eyes and smiles, looked upon his eldest nephew, "I wonder who gave him that idea."

 

The look in Frerin's eyes were warm and inviting, as they always were. Every Oakenshield, including the older beat necks like Dwalin, Balin, and those older people, were always too serious, money and power hungry. The regency and demand of respect from the Oakenshield clan and acquired friends never seemed strange to the youngest boys. It was everything that they'd ever known, and it felt like it was a genetic thing to them anyhow. Even when Fili and Kili had tried to make their own way in life, break off from the protocol demanded in their lives, they'd still acted as if the whole world was theirs for the taking. Or perhaps that was the arrogance of youth.

 

Kili's eyes were just opening, sliding around the room, looking panicked until his gaze landed on a pair of blue-green one's. "You didn't leave me."

 

"I said I wouldn't."

 

"Not this time, anyways." Kili smiled at his brother. Fili's heightened awareness warned him in enough time that there were other's just outside the kitchen doors. When they had barged into the room everyone jumped, screamed, or hands went to missing holsters, but Fili stayed looking into his brother's eyes, trying to convey something he wasn't sure of entirely.

 

"Well, well, well," A not too familiar voice sounded. "Captain Oakenshield." oh Christ, Fili knew who that was. His day couldn't have possibly gotten any worse.

 

"Hakeem," Dis said, as if she were overly familiar with Fili's long ago Commander.

 

"Today is my lucky day." A pair of handcuffs clinked as teeth caught in a movie-like show of police dominance and 'at-long-last' vengeance. "Captain Fili Oakenshiled, I'm placing you under arrest on theft and suspicion of slandering."

 

Such a petty thing, theft and slander. As if those were the grandest of his offenses. Fili counted three police in the room, likely four more within the house but leading up the landing following bullets and blood trails. He could take them out easily, kill them if need be. His family and Kili's friends wouldn't want him imprisoned, but Commander Hakeem Agarwal was one of the multitude who would rather see Fili dead.

 

"Wait," a gentle hand gripped Fili's arm, rooting him to the spot. Blue-green eyes snapped towards his brother. "Wait," he repeated, "you said you wouldn't leave me."

 

And damned all of his instincts to fight off the man handcuffing him and the others escorting him out, he listened to his brother. He wouldn't leave Kili. He also didn't think he should see anymore bloodshed. Besides, the municipal jail was a cakewalk compared to the Kremlin.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, I got this chapter finished. It was hell for me just sitting on my desktop yelling at me to finish. Thanks to everone who hadn't given up!


	4. A Coming Diagnosis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kili recouperates in the hospital while receiving two disturbing pieces of news.

Three hours, it had taken three hours when Kili and the rest of the family received the news that Fili had escaped custody out from under some of the finest police officers in the city. Kili had to keep from biting his lip as he was being interviewed in the hospital by the very man who took his brother away. The officer had appeared to have the makings of a nasty bruise over his right eye, which was a continual reminder that Kili's brother was incredible. 

 

"If Fili tries to contact you or your family in any way, you are obligated to phone the station and alert us." Hakeem had said with venom in his voice. "He's a very dangerous man, Kili. I hope you realize he's not the same brother as who left before the service."

 

"I'll keep that in mind." Kili replied acidly. He didn't like people making assumptions about his brother, it was bad enough that Mary thought that his brother would vaporize out of nowhere and abduct Kili in the night and had decided to stick around Kili like glue. Kili also neglected to mention that it was Fili who had taken out most of the men in the room where they had hostages. He could have killed them, well, he did kill one, but that was because Fili was trying to protect his brother. Fili was still a hero in Kili's eyes, and he wasn't sure if there was anything that would sway his opinion if the thought of Fili being a killer didn't. 

 

Hakeem and his partner left Kili's room to allow him to recuperate from his diabetic shock before the doctors could chase them away. This time around, different from other times, Kili swore that he would take better care of himself. He ate all the food on the tray the nurse had brought earlier, even though it was dry and almost completely tasteless, he knew that it had the nutrients his picky body needed. He was more aware of how poorly he'd been treating himself when his doctors had given him a full report.

 

Diagnosis: Type 2 diabetes has set in.

 

Type 2. Kili would begin gaining weight, along with other complications, if he didn't take care of his diet and exercise. Sure he was practicing Karate, but that was minimal after he got his second black belt. He had gained more weight due to his almost strict diet of sweets and breads because of his lack of meal preparation. His main excuse of "blood sugar low, time to fuel up via candy" would have to change. It was bad enough that he'd sometimes skip his insulin shots and result in being hospitalized because of it.

 

Kili was still wallowing in self pity and despair when a familiar voice boomed down the hall. It was uncle Thorin and his mother. Dis sounded like she was just beginning to rear her head. Uncle was in for it, that was for sure. True to type, Frerin came screeching around the corner and ducked into Kili's room.

 

"Oh, he's getting it now." Frerin laughed, though his demeanor was heavy. Neither of them had been taking this evening well, except that Frerin seemed to be rolling with the punches easier than the rest. Kili attributed that to Frerin's service in the army. Frerin was more willing to talk about Fili with Kili than Kili's uncle or mother. 

 

"What's going on?" Kili asked, shedding his cloak of mental shock at his latest news. 

 

"Your mother is blaming Thorin for father and grandfather disappearing in the middle of all that chaos." Frerin took a seat next to Kili in what looked like the most uncomfortable chair ever. His head wasn't wrapped like Kili imagined it would be. A few stitches to close the wound and a newly shaved bald spot to get at it. "What's new?"

 

Though Kili knew Frerin said it as a joke about his mother and uncle's situation, he couldn't help but think about his most recent diagnosis. "Yeah," he replied instead of commenting on his own troubles. He had to learn how to react like an adult instead of the spoiled little brat he was. And not complaining about it seemed like a good start. 

 

Kili felt Mary shift next to him, as she took up half of his bed after Kili had gotten comfortable. She had a habit of doing that to Kili, as soon as he was settled she'd come in like a needy cat and force herself to fill the smallest of spaces, making Kili feel crowded. He knew, though, that her behavior stemmed from being an orphan and felt like she needed the attention from Kili.

 

"When did she pass out?" Frerin pointed to Mary. Kili looked around for a clock.

 

"About forty minutes ago?" Out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw another familiar blond head down the hall. Snapping his attention to the figure he realized it was just a doctor going through charts. Kili sighed heavily, "I can't believe that he was here this whole time." Kili rubbed his face with his free hand. "That he was just waiting for me to find that number. What if I'd never found it? What if I had thrown away those books instead? What if-"

 

"Kili," Frerin stood up and moved to Kili's right side where he could grab his nephew's frantic hand. "Kili, lad, calm down. Breathe," Frerin breathed with his youngest and only nephew and when Kili looked more calm he continued, "What if's will kill you, son. Trust me. You can't try to think of every scenario, good or bad, without going mad."

 

"Alright, yeah." Kili replied hesitantly. He turned his head when he saw that blond doctor walk away and towards a security guard meant to watch over them while Kili was in the hospital. "It's just- I see him more frequently than when I thought he was gone. Now I think that he's just going to walk through that door, hold out his hand, and ask me to follow him. Like some lame action film. And the worst thing is, I think I'd go with him. If he asked I'd do anything if only I wouldn't loose him again."

 

"All perfectly normal reactions, Kili." Frerin squeezed his hands before letting go. He picked up his blond head and strained to hear his sibling's down the hall getting chastised by a nurse requesting them to be quiet. "He's your brother, Lord knows that you two were practically inseparable when you were younger. Stuck together like glue, you was." Frerin smiled at some choise happy memories. "How when we could never figure out who caused what trouble because you would both say it was you and your mother threw fits and decided to ground you both. Had I had any sons, I'd hoped to God that they wouldn't befriend you two."

 

Frerin smiled wryly, knowing that Kili understood the lie. Frerin had doted on the two of them for ages, and after Fili went to the service Thorin tried to take over, but he felt more like a dictator than anything. When Fili came back then left Kili quietly blamed Thorin for being too heavy handed with Fili and causing him stress.

 

"I just wish he would come home and stay home." Kili caught his mother and uncle being ushered in by a thin, pale looking male nurse. Frowning, Kili didn't realize that this man was on the rounds on this floor. He noticed him in the A&E downstairs when being admitted. 

 

"Now, please, will you stay put, I'm sure your son needs you here rather than squabbling outside like children." The man grinned but seemed more put out than amused.

 

"How dare you," Dis began to say but was cut off by her eldest brother.

 

"Dis, please, he's right." Thorin looked beyond exhausted, more so than when he came back from Cambodia and her finest thieves looking to bank off of his digs. Both Thorin and Dwalin had come back with nightmares and more than bruises and broken bones. "Father and grandfather isn't here, and we can't help Fili, but Kili is here and needs our help."

 

Dis looked like she wanted to argue some more but before she had the time the nurse closed the door behind him. All eyes trained on him as he casually walked over the Kili's bed and picked up the discarded chart. 

 

"Oo, this looks nasty." He said, nodding his head and gripping his chin as if deep in thought. "Mm-hm, mm-hm, that's going to leave a nasty mark." He flipped the charts and frowned. "No medication prescribed? You're not all that sick are you, boy?" 

 

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Frerin asked as he and Thorin bristled at the comments coming from the nurse. 

 

The man was thin, almost gaunt as if he were a recovering addict, his hair was styled and he had bangles and ties around his wrists for decoration. When Kili had looked closer as the man talked, he realized that he had a barbell through his tongue.

 

"I'm nurse," the man looked down and read the name tag on his scrubs, he returned to the door mumbling to himself, "Genny... huh."

 

"I'm calling on the guard." Thorin said attempting to move past the man.

 

"I don't think so, chap." The nurse turned and pointed a black gun of some variation on Thorin. Kili sat up and began panicking, his monitors beeping erratically and a thought occurred to him. 

 

"Put the gun away and walk out of here," Kili said with as much authority as he could, which wasn't much. "Do this without a fuss and I won't pull my leads out and send all sorts of staff in here to resuscitate me."

 

The man just grinned and waved the gun in the air as if to invite Kili to do just that. Kili was just aabout to pull the numerous wires when the door opened. Dis gasped and threw her hand onto her mouth as the door revealed the blond doctor from earlier. Except he wasn't a doctor.

"Now, lad, is that any way to greet your brother for a second time?" The maan who definitely wasn't Genny received a scathing look from Fili behind him before moving aside. "Doc's just gave his diagnosis. Looks like Type 2 diabetes. We can't do much with him so why don't we just leave-"

 

Quicker than anything Kili had seen from his brother tonight, he gripped the man's throat and held him against the door to the en-suite bathroom. The man raised his gun to Fili's head but thee blond didn't flinch, instead he lowered his head to the man's ear and spoke something that made him turn white. He lowered the gun and nodded, eyes bulging. Fili released him and turned to the other's in the room.

 

"We haven't much time," Fili reached into the bathroom and pulled out Kili's night sack he usually had packed for days like this. Fili pulled out his brother's clothes and tossed them to Kili. "We have less than five minutes before the police show back up."

 

"But, Fili," Kili called out to his brother but received the same heated look as the man did earlier. Kili was quick to comply after that. Kili leaned down and shook Mary awake. "Mary, get up,"

 

"She's not coming with us." Fili said as he fingered one of the knives on his belt that was conveniently hidden by the lab coat.

 

"The hell she isn't, she's my friend and I'm all she has left." Kili tried arguing while dressing. It was slightly embarrassing considering that his mother and friend were right there. 

 

"Kili, we don't have time for this." Fili said, sounding aggravated. The show of frustration elicited a raised eyebrow on the not-nurse. "Get your things on and lets go." Fili held up his hand to silence the other's from joining the conversation. "The guard radioed me into Hakeem. His unit has been waiting outside for me all night. But if I don't get you all out of here now, there will be a sweeper team coming in that will kill you all."

 

"Yeah, you all have a pretty price on your heads." the nurse sing-songed. Fili ignored the man and faced his brother. Kili wasn't done arguing yet, and he knew it.

 

"Then she's coming along, since we don't have time to argue on this." Kili had just gotten his shirt on when the door swung open and revealed Hakeem's partner from earlier. The man had a gun pulled out and was making eye contact with Mary, Dis, and Kili before pushing himself in further. Dis was just about to call out a warning when Fili pushed the door closed on the detective inspector causing the man to loose his balance. Without drawing his own weapons, which Kili was thankful for, Fili struck the man on certain parts of the body causing him to cry out in pain. He tried fighting back, raising his gun, but Fili kicked the gun out of the man's hands and punched him in the temple, causing him to slump against the wall. 

 

"Now we really don't have time," Fili reached out his hand for his brother. "Let's go."

 

Without thinking, he grabbed Mary's hand and raced towards the door to grab his brother's. Marry pulled against Kili's and kept babbling about Fili being a murderer. Kili sighed in exasperation but pulled her along. He looked behind him and saw that his uncles and mother were following in front of the gun totting nurse who appeared to be Fili's accomplice. Dis looked mutinous, Thorin conflicted, and Frerin kept his head on a swivel looking for anyone else about to abscond them, or shoot them. 

 

"Keep her quiet." Fili said under his breath before shutting his own mouth. Kili hushed Mary and indicated the guy behind them who had a gun. She seemed to get the idea. 

 

Kili couldn't explain the elation that he had holding his brother's hand. It was scarred, calloused and wide. His fingers weren't too thick, Kili assumed that his brother would end up getting arthritis, most soldiers do who use their hands too much, Frerin was already getting it. Fili's shoulders were broader than he last remembered, he couldn't see the definition underneath the lab coat, but he imagined that he was incredibly fit. Fili had what seemed like three days' worth of stubble going and his hair was meticulously combed back into a bun. Kili was just now realizing how handsome his brother was, and couldn't find one sliver of jealousy for his brother. Kili supposed that he was just too happy to have him around to waste the time he had with Fili on negativity. 

 

Fili came to an abrupt stop and looked up in the corner at a domed mirror and saw more police coming down the hall. Fili let go of Kili's hand and pressed him against the wall behind them. Before Kili could think better of it he let go of Mary's hand and came around the other side of Fili just as he turned the corner to confront the police. Fili didn't comment or complain when he saw his brother at his side, instead he concentrated on the few men before him and split his attention to his brother.

 

Kili, struck with confidence, approached each officer knowing that he had more training in hand-to-hand than the police inn front of him. The first few men he encountered tried to take him down with simple tackles and punches. Kili relied on his years of training and attacked accordingly. He took a few hits to the ribs, his hesitation and not wanting to hurt the officers kept him from protecting his sides. It was ridiculous, that he was only in the hospital for dizziness, feinting, and other mild diabetes related illness, when now he was fighting side by side his brother. Kili was able to block punches, throw men over his shoulder and effectively dislocating the joints, and strike with speed and strength to incapacitate quickly and efficiently in order to keep up with Fili. Before he knew it, they were through the throng of police officers and he was grabbing Mary's hand again and running behind his brother. 

 

Crowds of attendants and doctors gaped at the group of people plowing their way through one officer or a guard after another. They turned toward the fire escape and kept going. They made it down two stories when Fili and Kili spotted a lot more officers in the lobby. Riot police stood with their gear on, batons ready, and a few more officers had guns ready to shoot.

 

Kili was out of breath but stood next to his brother, peering through the safety glass window. 

 

"Dammit," Kili said. He looked behind him, gauging the rest of his family's reactions. Thorin's pinched expression wasn't very comforting at the moment. "What do we do, Fee?"

 

"There's no other way out except through them. I've only got my knives and Lyle has the only gun." Fili replied, gears reeling, trying to think up of something.

 

"Where's your gun?" Kili's eyes furrowed, smile on his face. "Aren't all the spies supposed to have guns?"

 

"I don't like guns." Fili frowned. Lyle was going to have a field day with how expressive Fili had been within the past few minutes alone. 

 

"The car garage," Frerin interrupted. "If we can make it there we can pop back up behind A&E where the ambulance parks, then we can all fit in there,"

 

"But that's two floors down, Frerin." Dis complained. 

 

"We could do it, love, let me shoot at them, cause a bit of a panic, and we can run through-" The man named Lyle spoke up behind all of them, gun still trained on the back of Thorin. Kili didn't like that the unstable one had the gun. 

 

"Or we can do this," Kili reached behind him and pulled the fire alarm. Instantly it began to rain inside the lobby in sheets of water. Flood lights came on just as the overhead lights dimmed. It created a different type of chaos, one that Fili took to immediately. He threw off his coat and revealed that he was wearing a thin, black long sleeve shirt with the same holster as earlier today. He had changed a little bit, but to Kili he was a completely different person. This man was steel hardened with flints of cold grey-green eyes glinting from the flood lights. 

 

Fili pulled out a few blades, ones intended for throwing, no decoration or handle, just all silver with holes in the handle for balance. He threw the blades as Kili drew open the door and led the way towards the lift. The blades must have hit their marks because Kili could hear men screaming and cursing. There was a sound of gun fire as Kili called the lift, automatically ducking out of fear of getting hit by bullets, Fili and Lyle were the last ones running towards them just as the lift doors opened. They jumped in and pressed the button to get to the lower levels. 

 

"You alright, Fee?" Kili grabbed onto his brother and began patting him down. Fili's hair was already soaked and Lyle was panting and had a wicked gleam in his eyes. Kili reached up to Fili's face to ensure that his brother wasn't lying. "Fee."

 

"I'm fine, Kee," Fili reached up behind his brother's bushy head and gripped him at the scruff. He wanted to pull Kili towards him to press their foreheads together like they used to do. They had read before that some cultures do that to share breaths and understand one another on a deeper level. After reading that article the boys practiced it until it became habit to where not being able to do it now hurt. Fili could see the emotions play in his brother's brown eyes, and his heart clenched painfully at seeing the hurt in his brother. 

 

"Love," Lyle broke the spell that Kili had been weaving, his need to be taken care of paired with his soft nature stoked something inside of Fili that hadn't been extinguished in these past years. "We're here."

 

Fili released his brother and marched forward to the darkened car garage. There were people running between the cars trying to get to them, in the chaos Fili and Frerin instinctively lowered their heads, Thorin following suit after being used to copying his younger brother in hairy situations. Kili picked up on the movement and ducked his head too, attempting to avoid being seen until they reached the emergency vehicles. 

 

They were able to steal an ambulance and shut the door just as the police rounded a corner. The officers must have been waiting for the lift to stop before following it down. Kili hopped in on the other side of the cabin where Fili took up the driver's side. They pulled out in a timely manner; not drawing attention and not going to slow. In the side view mirrors Kili noticed Hakeem pointing at the vehicle. 

 

"Wait for it." Fili said as he dialed his mobile. The blond dropped it on his lap as it rung out, soon there was a small explosion down in the car park followed by the alarms of a few vehicles. Hakeem and the other officers began filing into the car park below ground chasing after the explosion. Fili turned to his brother and smiled, Kili's life had just gotten lighter. 

 

It wasn't long down the road when Mary begun to panic. 

 

"Kili, you just attacked the police, escaped under guard, left the hospital without fully recovering, and are running away with a serial murderer." Mary was now a few octaves higher than she should be. Lyle glared at her and Kili, the attention made Kili shift uncomfortably in his seat. Lyle didn't seem like someone he wanted to trust with a paper clip, much less a gun - which was still drawn. 

Fili continued driving, ignoring the commotion that was escalating in the back of the vehicle. Kili tried to ignore his uncle's and mother's protests as well as Mary and Lyle bickering. Kili rolled his eyes heavenward and cursed. Thorin and Dis were back to blaming one another for the strange twist of events. Thorin tried his hardest to defend himself, but as usual, ends up saying something that damns him in his sister's eyes. Frerin tried getting in the middle of it for a few turns before both of them began yelling at him. This was why Kili believed that Frerin always tried to stay out of his siblings' argument. 

 

"Shut it!" Fili bellowed from the front. Kili flinched at the loudness of it and the rest of the family fell into chastised silence. 

 

Thorin and Dis looked like they wanted to throttle another and Fili at the same time. Lyle was eyeing his gun carefully and Mary was rocking back and forth in a fit of anxiety. When Kili looked back he could see uncle Frerin's shoulders begin to shake. He felt bad, Frerin must have been going through some sort of traumatic memories for him to begin loosing it in front off others. Kili was just going to request his brother pull over to let Frerin get some fresh air when he realized that the sounds coming from Frerin was laughter. 

 

"Frerin's finally lost it." Dis said conspiratorially.

 

"I think he lost it in Afghanistan." Thorin argued.

 

"He had to have something first to lose it." Fili said nonchalantly. 

 

"Kili, you," Frerin kept laughing, "you took his hand."

 

Kili didn't get, at first, what Frerin was talking about, but as soon as it hit him he too began laughing. He and Frerin laughed raucously in the cabin while Fili drove on in the night. To think that Kili's wish had come true like some fairytale. It should have bothered him that he took his place next to his murdering brother in those halls while evading the police, but it didn't seem strange at all. Rather, it was almost like he'd done it before, in another life and that's where he belonged .


	5. Great Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #notdead, just a little something for those of you still waiting for an upload. I have been writting but thanks to adulting couldnt get anything in. Please enjoy this small bit.

 

The ambulance ride stretched for a few hours before Kili began feeling tired and cranky. Fili pulled over and began looking through the drawers and cupboards of the vehicle for insulin. He wanted to make sure he had all the appropriate information before he stuck his brother with medication he knew almost nothing about.

“Seriously?” Kili asked from the front of the cabin. “You’ve known I had diabetes as long as I have and you hadn’t researched everything about it?” Kili knew there was more to it than ‘low blood sugar + sugar = perfection’. It was a complicated balance and the doctors had only begun his labwork when they’d left.

“Your body is no longer producing enough, love,” Lyle sat with his foot propped next to an annoyed Mary. Lyle had been sitting directly behind Fili the entire ride while Mary sat behind Kili. “So that means you can eat all the sugars you want…” Lyle looked up at Kili with a malicious smile. “And it may kill you.”

Kili’s face burned in humiliation at Lyle’s boldness. Kili knew all this information as well, he’d looked it up when he had been initially diagnosed. But hearing these things from a complete stranger made it worse for Kili. He could handle the ribbing from his brother, the admonishment from his mum, and the concerned but polite looks from his friends. The brunette hung his head without a retort. Shamed into silence Kili half expected Fili to react to Lyle as he did in the hospital at the mentioning of leaving Kili there. But all was silent from the blonde.

“I know.” Was all that Kili could think of to say. He turned in his seat and folded himself up against the dashboard. He pouted as well as he had in primary school. Listening to the heavy silence behind him while Fili searched for something only he knew.

When it was found Fili made his way back up to Kili and sat with his legs wide and open. Fili tapped the edge of his own seat, inviting Kili to turn around and face his brother. When he’d done so, Fili’s legs were bracketing Kili’s. It was an intimate pose, probably something conscious that Fili did to calm his brother and draw his attention. Dammit, it worked, too.

“I’m doing everything I can, Kee.” His gentle voice dredged up so many memories of when they were children hiding from the thunder. “I don’t know much. But I will do everything in my power to keep that from happening.” Kili unfolded his arms at Fili’s silent request, allowing the blond to push up the long shirt sleeve. Fili drew out a needle full of clear, cold liquid. “I just need you to do your part, little brother.”

Fili’s eyes almost drowned Kili in their depths and sincerity. The guarded look in Fili’s eyes almost hurt Kili on a physical level. As the needle pricked his skin at the exposed sides Kili flexed out of habit.

“Ow.”

“Sorry,” Fili apologized quickly, rubbing at the spot in Kili’s soft stomach. “Forgot it doesn’t go in your arms.”

“You are the one that’s going to end up killing me, Fee.” Kili smiled, one that was unguarded and all for Fili. Kili watched as his brother’s face lit up and then flushed. An odd feeling blossomed in his chest as he watched his brother duck his head and looked up through his eyelashes.

“Not if I can help it.” Fili’s voice was quiet, not wanting to break the mood they’d set, as he reached up and pinched Kili’s cheek. The hand lingered then slid to the back of Kili’s neck and pulled them closer. Kili looked down passed a freckled nose, pink lips, and collar bone as they tapped their foreheads together as they had done since childhood. Fili’s breath smelled of mint and his lips were stained by some form of red fruit. The discoloration plain from Kili’s closeness.

“Sure.” Kili teased, heart fluttering in his chest as he looked at his brother. Fili’s eyes shone brightly as a vehicle passed by them.

\--

Only a few years ago you wouldn’t see one without the other. As young boys Fili and Kili Oakenshield were young and wild. There wasn’t a moment in their spare time when they weren’t up to any good. Raucous. Mischievous. Boisterous. Fearless. These were just some of the terms that they’d picked up in their youth.

Growing up Kili had been spoiled, much to their father’s constant chagrin and amusement. Kili often hid in his mother’s dresses and behind her legs when meeting strangers, oh, but it wasn’t because he was shy. His elder brother, Fili, would often come up behind those they were meeting and they would perform tricks and mockery against them. Whenever the two brother’s got caught, however, they were quick to blame themselves, never offering up their accomplice.

They grew up to be honorable, dedicated, and driven. The brothers were close, sometimes to the point of being uncomfortable with their familiarity. Other student’s hadn’t understood their relationship, knocking together their foreheads in greeting or as a farewell. They sat too close, held hands until Fili left for the military. Their bond was something that no other child had seen, and thus, made fun of the boys at every chance they’d get.

Kili grew up not caring what other’s thought about that bond. He was raised in a family who supported their growth and familiarity if only because of the generations before their parents were so cold to one another. So when their father had died it had only solidified their connection to one another. Fili grew up to be the more responsible one, Kili had learned to bat his eyes and push out his red lips to pout to those who were withholding his desires. Fili worked hard for his earnings and Kili was handed them after some creative arguments.

Kili smiled when remembering the time that they’d come back from rugby training and dragged in all that mud and grass into the foyer just as Dis was entertaining distant relatives. They’d been admonished, stripped almost bare, and plodded throughout the house to their rooms to shower. How they had gotten away with so much indecency was near inconceivable. Kili blushed when he recalled the moment when he realized that not every siblings’ relationships were like their own. Before coming back from the war Kili had been scandalized to find out that other siblings mostly hated each other or were so competitive that it soured their relationship to something resembling acquaintances. Though there were some siblings who shared their companionship with their sibling, but none so much as Fili and Kili.

One of those sibling pairs were wandering around an open field trying to get a signal on her mobile.

They had driven for an hour before they turned onto a side road, changed vehicles two times, before coming into a small village in North Yorkshire. It was charming, had historic grounds that may have been on a zombie film and was completely without mobile service.

“It’s a complete dead zone.” Mary said while holding up her mobile to catch a reception. “I can’t get anything out here.”

“And you won’t, dearie,” Lyle said from the van. The side door was propped open with his legs sticking out of it. His feet tapped to a rhythm only he could hear. “We picked this property for the lack of service.” The scrawny man huffed when Mary shut her phone harshly and glared at him.

Kili would have rolled his eyes at the two, but since they had been bickering for the last seventy miles he feared he would develop a migraine or for his eyes to be stuck permanently. Instead his eyes focused on his brother who was picking the lock to the garage. Frerin and Thorin stood behind him covering him while Dis and Kili stood near the bonnet of the car.

“Kili,” Dis started.

“Don’t.” Kili cut her off before she could pretend that her apologies were sincere.

In Kili’s mind there was a lot that she would have to own up to and nothing that he could forgive her of. For now. He knew that everyone had suffered through Fili’s disappearance and consequently felt the pain when Dis decided to claim him as deceased. Kili still burned at the thought of giving up on his brother. He’d held that flame of hope since the minute Fili missed his daily check-in with him.

Watching his brother struggle to get the lock open Kili smiled at the frown of concentration. What type of life had his brother had? Did he fall in love with anyone along the way? Had he had his heart broken? Who did he work for? Who was he now? These questions swirled in his head unanswered. His concentration was broken when his mother laid her hand on his shoulder.

“Kili,” She called to get his attention. He looked into her eyes out of habit, not wanting so admit to what he was seeing there. “You must understand I did what I had to do. I didn’t believe that he was coming back.”

“You could have waited.” Kili said, barely able to keep the pain out of his voice. He was sitting partially out of the front of the car, hands folded together and his shoulders rounded. The borrowed clothing pulled almost uncomfortably. All these things he could ignore for the next set of words his mother would say.

Dis had opened her mouth to say something, an excuse to why she wrote off her eldest son as dead, or perhaps it was a paltry apology that Kili couldn’t accept at the moment. Either way, she was distracted by the drag of an iron gate. Fili had finally gotten the gate open and instead of jumping up and going to his brother’s side, Kili waited to see if Dis would say anything else. She closed her mouth, made a stilted move to turn toward her brothers and son and took a step away.

There was a snort at Kili’s ear and he turned to see Lyle’s mismatched eyes. Kili would have jumped back but there was hardly any room to do so.

“He was the favorite, wasn’t he?” Lyle asked before moving off himself and wandering towards the opening. Kili didn’t have to look up to know his brother was waiting for him and Mary who stood as silent as a sentinel at the front of the vehicle.

Inside the small building Kili could see that it was open like a loft, there were some pieces of furniture that were scattered throughout that seemed randomly placed. His mother and uncles were walking around, getting used to new surroundings the way a dog would. Dis took up wiping down some dust and throwing crumpled papers in the waste bin, her neuroticism was suddenly grating on Kili’s nerves.

“So,” Lyle said loudly, drawing all attention to himself as he flopped on the mismatching couch. “While you lot are crashing here, there will be rules.” Lyle said with all the self-importance in the world. “No wondering outside, no phone calls, no making yourself an easy target. And most importantly you must stay inside at all times. Notice that there are no windows? You best get used to one another until we can sort this whole mess out.”

Lyle slumped deeper into the couch putting his hand down after counting off the rules. Dis glared at the back of his head while Frerin and Thorin stood with their arms crossed and brows furrowed in clear rebellion. Afterall, who would take this scrawny man seriously when he had no manners or authority?

“Lyle is right,” Fili followed up with. “There are too many people who want you dead. You must stay inside and out of sight.” Fili had been attempting to boot up a computer and was finally getting frustrated with the machine. He stayed silent but made a Vader-esque motion toward the computer before Lyle stood up and walked towards him.

“Let me help you, darling.” He drapes himself over Fili and all Kili can think of is that the man looks like an octopus, appendages slithering over its prey. Kili gagged at the display of overt affection. It wasn’t that his brother happened to be in a homosexual relationship, it was that he saw no physical appeal to the man slung over his brother. Lyle was tall, taller than Fili and himself, he also had stringy platinum hair with random streaks of blue and magenta tipped hair. Some of the blue was already fading and ended up a sickly green colour. Lyle’s face was full of rounded angles, to the point that if he had gained six or seven pounds he’d be attractive. His hip bones, though, protruded from his shortened mesh shirt, sharp shoulders covered by canvas and leather jacket, long, slender legs wrapped in tight jeans. He was dressed well enough for the street, but the dichotomy against Fili was too great.

“You’d always been shite with computers,” Kili mumbled as Mary took his arm and dragged him further from his brother. While Fili and Lyle set up the security around the building Mary pulled Kili into a corner, glaring at him the entire time.

“Are you completely bonkers?” Mary hissed at Kili looking behind him to see if Fili had caught on. “We have been kidnapped by a murderer, absconded to a seedy building in the country, and are just lounging about waiting for our inevitable end.” Mary was red in the face, fear, anger, and confusion painted her face red in her hostility. “We need to leave, now. Call the authorities, let them handle this psychopath!”

  
“Mary!” Kili reached for her arms, attempting to shake her to dispel her near hysterics. But she stepped back against the wall to put as much distance between him and her. He’d nearly forgotten that she’d been abused as a child. Her reaction to him just now about made him sick. He rubbed at his face, eyes hopefully expressing his apology. “Stop it, please. You don’t understand the shite that he went through. Even as a kid we were pushed to be these perfect little adults. He’s good. He’s the best man you want at your side.” Kili stood there, pleading silently for her to understand just how good Fili was. Or, perhaps, how much Kili needed him.

“Kili, he’s killed people, you’ve seen what he can do. How can you defend him?”

“I love him, Mary.” Kili said unabashed. “He’s my brother, the things he’s done for me before, I-I can’t sit there and judge him for wanting to protect me now.”

“You’re sick, Kili,” Mary pointed in his face, she stepped away from the wall and into his space. “I thought better of you, I thought that ‘hey, here’s a guy that’s not out to bed you and leave you,’ but you’re turning out to be just like them!”

“Kili.” Fili called from across the room and the younger Oakenshield snapped his head around like a trained bird dog. “We need your help.”

Facing his best friend again he took a step toward his brother before saying, “We need to talk about this later.”

Kili thought about what she’d just said, they hadn’t ever slept together, let alone been together as a couple. And what was she going on about just now? Trying to put it to the back of his mind in order to deal with the whirlwind that was his life right now.

Stepping up to the computer platforms where Lyle and Fili were stooped over, Kili was able to get a look at CCTV feeds and a few other video feeds. Some of them were of the surrounding area of the building, others were roads he didn’t know and others he was familiar with. Kili leaned forward, hand resting on the back of the chair that Lyle had placed himself in. Fili’s fingers curled around the mesh back as well, tips nearly touching. Kili imagined he could feel the heat of his brother’s hand. Focusing on the task on hand, Kili ducked his head and looked upon the screens to analyze what he was called over for.

“Erm, what do you-“

“We need you to erase the footage of us approaching the house.” Lyle answered automatically. “You can do that, can’t you?” The challenge in his voice irked Kili. The man was just too cocksure and arrogant for Kili’s sensibilities. He looked towards his brother and saw a mask of indifference and wondered just how this man can mean anything to his brother.

“I need to,” in that moment, Fili turned his eyes on Kili. It stole his breath away how they went from rigid graphite to soft, clear pools of emotion so quickly. The moment was bolstered with the fact that Fili had slid his hand along the back of the chair and was caressing his brother’s hand in reassurance. “I need to download a couple of programs. If you are trying to stay off of the wire then it may take me some time depending on the CPU. But I can do it.” He said for his brother alone. They hadn’t dropped eye contact the entire time. Kili took a breath before detracting his hand from Fili and taking a seat where Lyle once was.

It seemed like he was getting himself further and further into the criminal underworld as the time passed. Kili idly wondered where he would be sitting tomorrow, next week, or a month from now. He wouldn’t mind doing it the rest of his life if it meant helping his brother, or, more importantly, staying by his side.

 


End file.
